From a28a1f11d285e27f0d23ae4e19dc5b3b5e45b605 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Calebrw Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2022 22:49:11 -0600 Subject: [PATCH] Cleanup FreeCol Documentation Web File --- www.freecol.org/docs/FreeCol.html | 10493 +++++++++++++++------------- 1 file changed, 5459 insertions(+), 5034 deletions(-) diff --git a/www.freecol.org/docs/FreeCol.html b/www.freecol.org/docs/FreeCol.html index 22226defc..051b0beac 100644 --- a/www.freecol.org/docs/FreeCol.html +++ b/www.freecol.org/docs/FreeCol.html @@ -1,5089 +1,5514 @@ - - + + FreeCol Documentation -User Guide for Version v0.11.6 - - - - - - + User Guide for Version v0.11.6 + + + + + + -
-

FreeCol Documentation
- User Guide for Version v0.11.6

-
- The FreeCol Team

-
December 30, 2019
-
- +
+

FreeCol Documentation
+ User Guide for Version v0.11.6

+
+ The FreeCol Team
+
+
December 30, 2019
+
- -

Contents

-
- 1 Introduction -
 1.1 About FreeCol -
 1.2 The Original Colonization -
 1.3 About this manual -
  1.3.1 Differences between the rule sets -
 1.4 Liberty and Immigration -
2 Installation -
 2.1 System Requirements -
  2.1.1 FreeCol on Windows -
 2.2 Compiling FreeCol -
3 Interface -
 3.1 Starting the game -
  3.1.1 Command line options -
  3.1.2 Game setup -
  3.1.3 Map Generator Options -
  3.1.4 Game Options -
 3.2 Client Options -
  3.2.1 Display Options -
  3.2.2 Translations -
  3.2.3 Message Options -
  3.2.4 Audio Options -
  3.2.5 Savegame Options -
  3.2.6 Warehouse Options -
  3.2.7 Keyboard Accelerators -
  3.2.8 Other Options -
 3.3 The main screen -
  3.3.1 The Menubar -
  3.3.2 The Info Panel - - -
  3.3.3 The Minimap -
  3.3.4 The Unit Buttons -
  3.3.5 The Compass Rose -
  3.3.6 The Main Map -
 3.4 The Europe Panel -
 3.5 The Colony panel -
  3.5.1 The Warehouse Dialog -
  3.5.2 The Build Queue Panel -
 3.6 Customization -
4 The New World -
 4.1 Terrain Types -
 4.2 Goods -
  4.2.1 Trade Routes -
 4.3 Special Resources -
 4.4 Native Settlements -
 4.5 Lost City Rumours -
 4.6 Exploration -
5 Colonies -
 5.1 Picking a suitable site -
  5.1.1 The colony tile -
  5.1.2 The adjacent tiles -
  5.1.3 Reforestation -
  5.1.4 Government Efficiency -
 5.2 Colony Buildings -
 5.3 Using Buildings -
 5.4 Building Units and Buildings -
6 Your Home Country -
 6.1 Your Home Port -
 6.2 Your Monarch -
7 Units -
 7.1 Equipment -
 7.2 Skills and Education -
 7.3 Combat -
  7.3.1 Combat Bonuses and Penalties -
8 The Continental Congress -
9 The Birth of a Nation -
 9.1 Sons of Liberty -
 9.2 The Treaty of Utrecht - +

Contents

+
+ 1 Introduction +
 1.1 About FreeCol +
 1.2 The Original Colonization +
 1.3 About this manual +
  1.3.1 Differences between the rule sets +
 1.4 Liberty and Immigration +
2 Installation +
 2.1 System Requirements +
  2.1.1 FreeCol on Windows +
 2.2 Compiling FreeCol +
3 Interface +
 3.1 Starting the game +
  3.1.1 Command line options +
  3.1.2 Game setup +
  3.1.3 Map Generator Options +
  3.1.4 Game Options +
 3.2 Client Options +
  3.2.1 Display Options +
  3.2.2 Translations +
  3.2.3 Message Options +
  3.2.4 Audio Options +
  3.2.5 Savegame Options +
  3.2.6 Warehouse Options +
  3.2.7 Keyboard Accelerators +
  3.2.8 Other Options +
 3.3 The main screen +
  3.3.1 The Menubar +
  3.3.2 The Info Panel - -
 9.3 The Declaration of Independence -
10 Known bugs -
11 Copyright Notice -
- - -

- +
  3.3.3 The Minimap +
  3.3.4 The Unit Buttons +
  3.3.5 The Compass Rose +
  3.3.6 The Main Map +
 3.4 The Europe Panel +
 3.5 The Colony panel +
  3.5.1 The Warehouse Dialog +
  3.5.2 The Build Queue Panel +
 3.6 Customization +
4 The New World +
 4.1 Terrain Types +
 4.2 Goods +
  4.2.1 Trade Routes +
 4.3 Special Resources +
 4.4 Native Settlements +
 4.5 Lost City Rumours +
 4.6 Exploration +
5 Colonies +
 5.1 Picking a suitable site +
  5.1.1 The colony tile +
  5.1.2 The adjacent tiles +
  5.1.3 Reforestation +
  5.1.4 Government Efficiency +
 5.2 Colony Buildings +
 5.3 Using Buildings +
 5.4 Building Units and Buildings +
6 Your Home Country +
 6.1 Your Home Port +
 6.2 Your Monarch +
7 Units +
 7.1 Equipment +
 7.2 Skills and Education +
 7.3 Combat +
  7.3.1 Combat Bonuses and Penalties +
8 The Continental Congress +
9 The Birth of a Nation +
 9.1 Sons of Liberty +
 9.2 The Treaty of Utrecht - -

Chapter 1
Introduction

-

-

Welcome to FreeCol! If you’re interested in development of this program, -please see the FreeCol web site. This is a draft version of the user’s guide. You can -find the latest version at the FreeCol homepage. -

-

1.1 About FreeCol

-

-

The FreeCol team aims to create an Open Source version of Colonization -(released under the GPL). However, FreeCol differs from the original game in two -regards: it supports multiplayer games and uses an isometric map. At some point -in the future, we might also add support for rectangular tiles similar to those used -in the original game. -

FreeCol 1.0 will implement all features and rules of the original game that we -are aware of. Although we have not reached that goal yet, the game has been -playable for several years now. -

At the same time, we are adding features and optional rules not found in -the original game. In particular, units, buildings, terrain types, goods -and other game objects are far more configurable than they were in the -original game. In fact, the game already includes two slightly different rule -sets. -

-

1.2 The Original Colonization

-

-

The original ColonizationPIC  9.3 The Declaration of Independence +
10 Known bugs +
11 Copyright Notice +

+ + +

+ + +

Chapter 1
Introduction

+

+ +

Welcome to FreeCol! If you’re interested in development of this program, + please see the FreeCol web site. This is a draft version of the user’s + guide. You can + find the latest version at the FreeCol homepage. + +

+

1.1 About FreeCol

+

+ +

The FreeCol team aims to create an Open Source version of Colonization + (released under the GPL). However, FreeCol differs from the original game in two + regards: it supports multiplayer games and uses an isometric map. At some point + in the future, we might also add support for rectangular tiles similar to those used + in the original game. + +

FreeCol 1.0 will implement all features and rules of the original game that we + are aware of. Although we have not reached that goal yet, the game has been + playable for several years now. + +

At the same time, we are adding features and optional rules not found in + the original game. In particular, units, buildings, terrain types, goods + and other game objects are far more configurable than they were in the + original game. In fact, the game already includes two slightly different rule + sets. + +

+

1.2 The Original Colonization

+

+ +

The original ColonizationPIC was released in 1994 by Microprose. -Colonization is heavily based on Civilization which some consider -to be the best turn-based strategy game for the PC in the history of -mankind. -

In Civilization the object of the game was to build a nation that could stand -the test of time and that could also do one of the following: conquer the -world or be the first to launch a spaceship. In Colonization things are bit -different... -

A Colonization game starts in 1492 and the object of the game is - + Colonization is heavily based on Civilization which some consider + to be the best turn-based strategy game for the PC in the history of + mankind. + +

In Civilization the object of the game was to build a nation that could stand + the test of time and that could also do one of the following: conquer the + world or be the first to launch a spaceship. In Colonization things are bit + different... + +

A Colonization game starts in 1492 and the object of the game is - -to colonize America. You begin the game with one vessel and two -colonists. -

As in Civilization you need to build a powerful nation, but fortunately in the -early part of the game you’ll be able to send ships back to Europe in order -to sell the goods you’ve produced or to bring back some colonists. Getting -colonists into the new world is a very important aspect of the game as -one game turn takes one year and later on even one season and as a result colonies -don’t grow as rapidly as they do in Civilization. You can pay colonists to -come to the new world or you can show off with the religious freedom of -your people in which case they will hop on your vessels for no money at -all. -

Another important aspect is trade: the source of all income (apart from -Inca and Aztec gold). In a land filled with precious resources it is important to -build your colonies at the right location and to place craftsmen -where they belong. This is not only to have an income but also to be able -to live off the land when you can no longer count on the support of -Europe. -

Through all this you’ll have to decide whether or not you want to live next -to the native americans peacefully. They can teach your colonists new skills -that cannot be tought anywhere else and they will offer you goods in case you -choose to treat them as your friends. On the other hand, their villages can be -attacked and their valuable goods can be taken from them and sold in -Europe. -

Other European forces are also busy occupying their piece of the -new world. Should their borders go too far then take over some of their -colonies by force because they wouldn’t hesitate to do the same thing to -you. -

The object of Colonization is to declare your independence and survive -an attack of the King’s forces. Before declaring your independence you need -to have the majority of the people behind you. This can be done -by promoting free speech and by providing a strong governmental -system. -

-

1.3 About this manual

-

- - -

FreeCol is slowly turning into a game engine that allows the implementation of -many different games based on similar concepts. It is already possible -to define different rule sets and to select one of them when starting a -new game. At the moment, FreeCol ships with two rule sets accessible to -the user: “Classic”, which attempts to emulate the rules of the original -game as far as possible, and “FreeCol”, which mainly conforms to the rules -of the original game, but differs in a few points. The “FreeCol” rule set -introduces four additional European powers with new national advantages, for -example. -

In this manual, we always talk about the “Classic” rule set unless we explicitly -mention another rule set. Please note that most of the features of terrain types, -unit types, building types, founding fathers and so on could be changed by -another rule set. If the manual states that a Lumberjack has a movement -allowance of three, or that the Prairie produces three units of Cotton, then this -applies to the “Classic” rule set and the “FreeCol” rule set. Another rule set might -change these values, or might not even include a Lumberjack, the Prairie terrain, -or Cotton. -

-

1.3.1 Differences between the rule sets

-

-

The following differences between the “Classic” rule set and the “FreeCol” rule -set exist: -

-

-

1.4 Liberty and Immigration

-

- -

Liberty and Immigration are two very important aspects of the game. The -more liberty you “accumulate”, the more your colonists will support your policies. -In time, they will work harder, thus gaining a production bonus, and will support -independence from the home country. Since you can not secede from your home -country before at least half of the population supports independence, and since -popular support has a large influence on your final score, the accumulation of -liberty must clearly be a priority. -

Liberty points are also required to elect new members to the Continental -Congress. Each of these “founding fathers” can increase your abilities in a different -way. -

Nor should you neglect Immigration, since immigrants from Europe are -likely to be your main source of skilled and unskilled labour early in the game. As -your colonies become more and more self-sufficient and you build great -universities to teach even the most demanding professions, immigrants -from Europe become less important. But since the number of colonists is -one of the most important factors contributing to your final score, you -might wish to attract further immigrants even in the late stages of the -game. -

In the original game, liberty points were virtually identical to Liberty -Bells, and immigration points were indistinguishable from Crosses. In - + +

FreeCol is slowly turning into a game engine that allows the implementation of + many different games based on similar concepts. It is already possible + to define different rule sets and to select one of them when starting a + new game. At the moment, FreeCol ships with two rule sets accessible to + the user: “Classic”, which attempts to emulate the rules of the original + game as far as possible, and “FreeCol”, which mainly conforms to the rules + of the original game, but differs in a few points. The “FreeCol” rule set + introduces four additional European powers with new national advantages, for + example. + +

In this manual, we always talk about the “Classic” rule set unless we explicitly + mention another rule set. Please note that most of the features of terrain types, + unit types, building types, founding fathers and so on could be changed by + another rule set. If the manual states that a Lumberjack has a movement + allowance of three, or that the Prairie produces three units of Cotton, then this + applies to the “Classic” rule set and the “FreeCol” rule set. Another rule set might + change these values, or might not even include a Lumberjack, the Prairie terrain, + or Cotton. + +

+

1.3.1 Differences between the rule sets

+

+ +

The following differences between the “Classic” rule set and the “FreeCol” + rule + set exist: +

-

There are several other options that you will probably only be interested in if -you are a developer or need detailed debugging information: -

-

-

3.1.2 Game setup

-

-

- +

Chapter 2
Installation

+

+ +

You can download a system independent installer, which should install + FreeCol and set up the required shortcuts on your desktop. If everything + works as planned, you will only need to double click the icon in order + to start the game. If this is not the case, then please read the following + paragraphs. + +

FreeCol comes with a multi-lingual desktop entry file for Linux, which is not + installed by default, however. In order to install it, you need to copy the file + “freecol.desktop” from the base install directory to the appropriate folder (e.g. + “/usr/share/applications” or “ /.local/share/applications/”). You also need to + edit the icon path defined in the file to match the location of the freecol + icon. + +

+

2.1 System Requirements

+

+ +

FreeCol is written in Java. In order to run, it requires a Java Virtual Machine. + FreeCol should run on any platform on which a Java Virtual Machine compatible + with Sun Java 8 or higher is available. + +

FreeCol is known to work with Oracle Java and OpenJDK. FreeCol is + known to run on recent versions of Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. If you + are using FreeCol on a different platform, we would like to hear about + it. + +

FreeCol requires at least 256 MB memory, although some systems slow down + badly and require 512MB. FreeCol works best with a screen resolution of at least + 1024x768 pixels. It should also be possible to play the game with a screen + resolution of 1024x600 pixels, although some panels will look a bit cramped. You + can play the game with an even smaller screen, but we do not support that, and + some things might not work. + +

+

2.1.1 FreeCol on Windows

+

+ +

FreeCol uses context menus in several places. On most platforms, context + menus are opened with a click of the right mouse button. If you have only one - -

Main panel
-

-

If you start FreeCol without command line options, the game will first open a -dialog that allows you to continue a game already started, to start a new game, to -open a saved game, to open the map editor, to set various options, and to -quit. -

If you decide to start a new game, you will be presented with another dialog, -which enables you to start a single-player game, to retrieve a list of servers from -meta.freecol.org, to join a multi-player game, or to start a new multi-player -game. -

-

New game
-

-

If you start a new single-player or multi-player game, you must also decide -whether to use fixed or selectable national advantages, or no national -advantages at all. In the original game, national advantages were always fixed. -The Dutch, for example, always had a trading advantage. You must also -decide which rule set to use. At the moment, FreeCol comes with two rule -sets, namely “FreeCol” (the default) and “Classic”. In the future, we will -probably distribute additional rule sets contributed by players. If you -join another game, then you must accept the settings the game’s owner -selected. -

-

Difficulty level
-

-

The next screen allows you to select an appropriate difficulty level. The game -comes with five pre-defined difficulty levels: “Very Easy”, “Easy”, “Normal” (the -default), “Hard” and “Very Hard”. The level is defined by about two dozen -different settings, such as the amount of gold you start the game with. If you -select “Very Easy”, for example, you will start with 1000 gold, if you select “Easy”, -you will start with only 300 gold, and in higher levels you will start entirely -penniless. - - -

You can also create your own custom difficulty level. Just select the -difficulty level that is closest to what you want (i.e. select “Very Hard” -if you want a difficulty level that is even harder) and press the “edit” -button to change the settings. Please note that the range of all settings is -limited. -

-

Select nations
-

-

The next screen allows you to select which European and native nations will -be present in the game, which colour will be used to represent them, and whether -they will be played by humans or computer players. At the moment, human -players can only select a European nation. In future, that might change. If you -chose selectable national advantages, then you can also change the national -advantage of the nation you are playing. -

The original game only included four European nations, namely the Dutch, -English, French and Spanish. FreeCol includes eight, mainly in order to support -large multi-player games, but also in order to include the Portuguese, who were -sadly absent from the original game. By default, however, only the original four -European nations are selected. -

The table headers for the Nation and Advantage columns are buttons that -will take you to the relevant sections of the Colopedia. Also see the chapter on -your Home Country for further information on the national advantages of various -European nations. -

This screen also allows you to change various game options. -

-

Joining a game
-

-

If you choose to retrieve a list of running games from the metaserver, your -computer will attempt to establish a connection to meta.freecol.org, port 3540. -You will be presented with a list of games, from which you can select one to -connect to. Please note that the list will frequently be empty, since not that many -public multi-player games are being run. -

If you wish to join a multi-player game, you must enter the IP address of a - + mouse button, holding down the control key while clicking the mouse button + should also work. Some versions of Java on Windows are unable to display context + menus that extend beyond the game window correctly. As we are unable to fix + that, we display the context menu in the top left corner of the game window in + these cases. + +

+

2.2 Compiling FreeCol

+

+ +

In order to compile FreeCol you will need Java and the Ant build system. + When these are installed, go to the root directory of FreeCol and type ant to + build a JAR file containing the game. The game is started using the command + java -Xmx512M -jar FreeCol.jar. + +

If something goes wrong, please open a bug report at the SourceForge page of + FreeCol. Use the command ant -projecthelp to find out about other kinds of + things you can build (this manual, for example). Note that you will require + additional software to build the manual, however. + +

- -server that is running a FreeCol game as well as the port it is running on. The -default port is 3541. If you join a multi-player game, you can also choose a nation -and colour, but another players might already have selected your preferred -nation. -

-

Setting up a multi-player game
-

-

If you wish to start a multi-player game, then the IP address of the server will -be that of your computer, but you must still select a port to run the server on. -Again, the default port is 3541. You must also decide whether you want to run a -public server or a private server. By default, you start a private game, which -means that the game will not be available on the metaserver. Furthermore, you -must decide on the number of European players (see above), and whether to -use national advantages. A multi-player game may be more balanced if -you do not use them, so that all players start with the same units and -abilities. -

FreeCol is a client-server game. The game server takes care of the game logic, -and the client provides the graphical user interface. One or several clients can -connect to the game server via the network. In the case of a single-player game, all -other players are handled by the game server. At the moment, however, your -client uses a network connection even if the server is running on the same -computer. -

This means that you can only run FreeCol if you have the necessary privileges -to bind an unprivileged port. If you use a personal firewall that blocks the port -you wish to use, you will need to configure your firewall accordingly. If you wish to -retrieve a list of games from the metaserver, you also need to configure your -firewall to permit connections to that server, port 3540. In order to connect to a -server, your client also needs to bind a port. Which port depends on the operating -system you use. -

If you are running a public game server, then your firewall must also permit -the clients to connect to the port of the game server. -

-

3.1.3 Map Generator Options

- - -

-

The map generator options allow you to import a map, and to set several -parameters that influence the size and terrain of a randomly generated map. -FreeCol includes several hand-made maps, which can be selected by clicking on -the map icon. -

To import a map, either select one of the maps in the shortcut panel, enter the -name of a file in the import field, or click on the browser button in order to select -a file via a file browser. You have the choice to import terrain, bonuses, rumors -and settlements. At the moment, the map editor does not provide all these -options, however. -

The map generator tab allows you to select the size of the map, as well as the -amount and the general shape of the land on the map. The terrain generator tab -allows you to select the number of rivers, mountains, lost city rumors, -native settlements, forests, and bonus tiles on the map, as well as the -humidity and temperature of the map. The latter settings will influence the -terrain. -

-

3.1.4 Game Options

-

-

The game options allow you to select several parameters that influence game -play, such as non-standard rules and victory conditions. -

-

Map Options
-

-

-

-

3.2.4 Audio Options

-

-

FreeCol comes with a limited selection of music and special sound effects. The -audio options enable you to select the output device, which you should probably -leave to be automatically detected, as well as the volume of the music and special -effects. -

-

3.2.5 Savegame Options

-

-

-

- +

Main panel
+

+ +

If you start FreeCol without command line options, the game will first open a + dialog that allows you to continue a game already started, to start a new game, to + open a saved game, to open the map editor, to set various options, and to + quit. + +

If you decide to start a new game, you will be presented with another dialog, + which enables you to start a single-player game, to retrieve a list of servers from + meta.freecol.org, to join a multi-player game, or to start a new multi-player + game. + +

+

New game
+

+ +

If you start a new single-player or multi-player game, you must also decide + whether to use fixed or selectable national advantages, or no national + advantages at all. In the original game, national advantages were always fixed. + The Dutch, for example, always had a trading advantage. You must also + decide which rule set to use. At the moment, FreeCol comes with two rule + sets, namely “FreeCol” (the default) and “Classic”. In the future, we will + probably distribute additional rule sets contributed by players. If you + join another game, then you must accept the settings the game’s owner + selected. + +

+

Difficulty level
+

+ +

The next screen allows you to select an appropriate difficulty level. The game + comes with five pre-defined difficulty levels: “Very Easy”, “Easy”, “Normal” + (the + default), “Hard” and “Very Hard”. The level is defined by about two dozen + different settings, such as the amount of gold you start the game with. If you + select “Very Easy”, for example, you will start with 1000 gold, if you select “Easy”, + you will start with only 300 gold, and in higher levels you will start entirely + penniless. - -

3.2.6 Warehouse Options

-

-

-

-

3.2.7 Keyboard Accelerators

-

-

Many but not all of the actions available via the game menu or via orders -buttons are also available as keyboard shortcuts. These shortcuts can be -configured. -

-

3.2.8 Other Options

-

-

-

-

3.3 The main screen

-

-

The figure 3.1 represents the main screen.

+

You can also create your own custom difficulty level. Just select the + difficulty level that is closest to what you want (i.e. select “Very Hard” + if you want a difficulty level that is even harder) and press the “edit” + button to change the settings. Please note that the range of all settings is + limited. + +

+

Select nations
+

+ +

The next screen allows you to select which European and native nations will + be present in the game, which colour will be used to represent them, and whether + they will be played by humans or computer players. At the moment, human + players can only select a European nation. In future, that might change. If you + chose selectable national advantages, then you can also change the national + advantage of the nation you are playing. + +

The original game only included four European nations, namely the Dutch, + English, French and Spanish. FreeCol includes eight, mainly in order to support + large multi-player games, but also in order to include the Portuguese, who were + sadly absent from the original game. By default, however, only the original four + European nations are selected. + +

The table headers for the Nation and Advantage columns are buttons that + will take you to the relevant sections of the Colopedia. Also see the chapter on + your Home Country for further information on the national advantages of various + European nations. + +

This screen also allows you to change various game options. + +

+

Joining a game
+

+ +

If you choose to retrieve a list of running games from the metaserver, your + computer will attempt to establish a connection to meta.freecol.org, port 3540. + You will be presented with a list of games, from which you can select one to + connect to. Please note that the list will frequently be empty, since not that many + public multi-player games are being run. + +

If you wish to join a multi-player game, you must enter the IP address of a + + + server that is running a FreeCol game as well as the port it is running on. The + default port is 3541. If you join a multi-player game, you can also choose a nation + and colour, but another players might already have selected your preferred + nation. + +

+

Setting up a multi-player game
+

+ +

If you wish to start a multi-player game, then the IP address of the server will + be that of your computer, but you must still select a port to run the server on. + Again, the default port is 3541. You must also decide whether you want to run a + public server or a private server. By default, you start a private game, which + means that the game will not be available on the metaserver. Furthermore, you + must decide on the number of European players (see above), and whether to + use national advantages. A multi-player game may be more balanced if + you do not use them, so that all players start with the same units and + abilities. + +

FreeCol is a client-server game. The game server takes care of the game logic, + and the client provides the graphical user interface. One or several clients can + connect to the game server via the network. In the case of a single-player game, all + other players are handled by the game server. At the moment, however, your + client uses a network connection even if the server is running on the same + computer. + +

This means that you can only run FreeCol if you have the necessary privileges + to bind an unprivileged port. If you use a personal firewall that blocks the port + you wish to use, you will need to configure your firewall accordingly. If you wish to + retrieve a list of games from the metaserver, you also need to configure your + firewall to permit connections to that server, port 3540. In order to connect to a + server, your client also needs to bind a port. Which port depends on the operating + system you use. + +

If you are running a public game server, then your firewall must also permit + the clients to connect to the port of the game server. + +

+

3.1.3 Map Generator Options

+ + +

+ +

The map generator options allow you to import a map, and to set several + parameters that influence the size and terrain of a randomly generated map. + FreeCol includes several hand-made maps, which can be selected by clicking on + the map icon. + +

To import a map, either select one of the maps in the shortcut panel, enter the + name of a file in the import field, or click on the browser button in order to select + a file via a file browser. You have the choice to import terrain, bonuses, rumors + and settlements. At the moment, the map editor does not provide all these + options, however. + +

The map generator tab allows you to select the size of the map, as well as the + amount and the general shape of the land on the map. The terrain generator tab + allows you to select the number of rivers, mountains, lost city rumors, + native settlements, forests, and bonus tiles on the map, as well as the + humidity and temperature of the map. The latter settings will influence the + terrain. + +

+

3.1.4 Game Options

+

+ +

The game options allow you to select several parameters that influence game + play, such as non-standard rules and victory conditions. + +

+

Map Options
+

+

+

+

Colony Options
+

+

+

+

Victory Conditions
+

+ +

Victory conditions allow you to choose how a European player may win the + game: +

+

Please note that if you start a single-player game and select the defeat of all + other human players as a victory condition, your game will end immediately, since + the victory condition already applies. + +

+

Year Options
+

+

+

+ + +

Initial Prices
+

+ +

The initial price options determine the minimum and maximum initial prices + for all goods traded in Europe, as well as the difference between the buy and sell + prices. Unless the initial prices for a type of goods are set to the same value, the + initial price will be randomized at the beginning of the game. The price spread, + however, remains constant. + +

You can also set the price of hammers when paying for the completion of + buildings and buildable units. + +

+

3.2 Client Options

+

+ +

The client options panel allows you to customize how your client displays the + game objects and how it handles some tasks such as auto-saving. + +

+

3.2.1 Display Options

+

+

+

Beware that some Java implementations have bugs that cause high CPU load + and very slow performance if animation is enabled. If this happens, either disable + animation or experiment with the -Dsun.java2d.pmoffscreen=false Java + command line option. + +

+

3.2.2 Translations

+

+ +

The FreeCol user interface has been translated into several languages, but not + all translations are complete. If the translation you choose is not complete, the + missing strings will be taken from another language file. This could be the default + translation for your language or the English language version. If you selected + Austrian German, for example, missing strings would be taken from the + default German translation if available, and the English language version + otherwise. + +

Translations for the FreeCol user interface are kindly provided by + translatewiki.net. If you want to improve the translation you use, please get + an + account at the wiki and contribute. The translation available at the wiki may well + + + be more complete than the one included in the latest FreeCol package, which may + be several months old. + +

If you want to install the latest translation available, go to translatewiki.net + and follow the link Special pages from the navigation bar on the left. + Scroll down to the section Wiki data and tools and follow the link + Translate, which takes you to a list of the projects for which the wiki provides + translations. Choose FreeCol to view a form. Select Export translations to + file from the dropdown box labelled I want to. Select the language you + are interested in and press the Fetch button. Please take note of the + abbreviation used for the language, which you will need during the next + step. + +

Now, save the result as a file. Find the directory where FreeCol is installed and + open the sub-directory data, then the sub-directory strings, where you will find + a large number of files called + +

+

+

FreeColMessages_abbreviation.properties.

+

Overwrite the file with the correct abbreviation and you are done. The next + time you start FreeCol, it will use the updated translation. + +

+

3.2.3 Message Options

+

+ +

You can choose whether to group messages by type, by source, or not + at all. The source of the message is a game object, typically a colony + or unit, and the type of the message is either the default type, which + is always displayed, or one of the following types, which can be turned + off: +

+

+

3.2.4 Audio Options

+

+ +

FreeCol comes with a limited selection of music and special sound effects. The + audio options enable you to select the output device, which you should probably + leave to be automatically detected, as well as the volume of the music and special + effects. + +

+

3.2.5 Savegame Options

+

+

+

+ + +

3.2.6 Warehouse Options

+

+

+

+

3.2.7 Keyboard Accelerators

+

+ +

Many but not all of the actions available via the game menu or via orders + buttons are also available as keyboard shortcuts. These shortcuts can be + configured. + +

+

3.2.8 Other Options

+

+

+

+

3.3 The main screen

+

+ +

The figure 3.1 represents the main screen. +

+
- - - - - -
-

-

PIC -

Figure 3.1: The main screen.
+ + + +
+

+ +

PIC +
+

Figure 3.1: The main screen.
+
+ + +

+
+

The main screen consists of up to six different areas: the menu bar + at the top, the minimap in the lower left corner, the info panel in the + lower right corner, the order buttons between the minimap and the info + panel, the compass rose in the top right corner, and the main map in the + background. The units, colonies, and so forth can be seen on the main + map. They are also represented as coloured dots on the minimap. The + preferences menu allows you to disable some of these controls if you wish to do + so. + +

+

3.3.1 The Menubar

+

+ +

The menubar contains the Game, View, Orders, Report and Colopedia + submenus at the left hand of the screen, as well as a status area at the right hand + of the screen. The status area displays your score, the amount of gold you possess, + your current tax rate and the current turn. + +

The Game Menu allows you to: +

    +
  • start a new game +
    • +
  • open a savegame +
    • +
  • save the current game +
    • +
  • change your preferences +
    • +
  • reconnect to the server +
    • +
  • chat with another player + + +
    • +
  • declare independence +
    • +
  • end your turn +
    • +
  • return to the main menu +
    • +
  • view high scores +
    • +
  • retire from the game +
    • +
  • quit the game entirely
    • +
+

The View Menu allows you to: +

    +
  • turn the map controls (minimap and info panel) on or off +
    • +
  • turn the map grid on or off +
    • +
  • turn borders on or off +
    • +
  • switch between the unit view and the terrain view +
    • +
  • switch between full-screen mode and windowed mode +
    • +
  • display tile names, owners, regions or none of the above +
    • +
  • change the zoom level of the main map + + +
    • +
  • switch to the Europe panel +
    • +
  • display trade routes +
    • +
  • center the map on a known settlement
    • +
+

The Orders Menu enables you to give orders to the currently selected + unit: +

    +
  • switch to sentry mode +
    • +
  • fortify +
    • +
  • go to a destination you select +
    • +
  • go to a tile you select +
    • +
  • execute goto orders +
    • +
  • assign trade route +
    • +
  • build or join a colony +
    • +
  • plow the tile the unit is on (requires 20 tools) +
    • +
  • build a road on the tile the unit is on (requires 20 tools) +
    • +
  • load a carrier if possible + + +
    • +
  • unload all goods and units on board if possible +
    • +
  • wait until other units have moved +
    • +
  • skip this turn +
    • +
  • switch to a different unit on the same tile +
    • +
  • clear current orders +
    • +
  • change the unit’s name +
    • +
  • disband the unit
    • +
+

Note that not all orders are available at all times. The build colony order is + only available if the unit is able to build colonies and the tile it is on will support + a colony, for example. The unload order is only available if the unit is carrying + goods. You can unload the goods anywhere, but if you are not in Europe or in a + colony, the goods will be lost. You can use this feature to dump unwanted cargo in + order to avoid the cargo penalty. + +

The Reports Menu provides access to various reports on the current state of + your colonies. In these reports, icons as well as blue text strings link to the places + they refer to. If you click on the name of a colony, for example, the Colony Panel + will be opened. +

    +
  • The Religious Advisor tells you how many crosses your colonies + produce, and how many crosses are required in order to recruit the next + emigrant in Europe. +
    • +
  • The Labour Advisor tells you which types of colonists have emigrated + to the New World or are waiting in Europe. If you can not remember + where you sent your only Expert Ore Miner, for example, you can use + this report to locate him. +
    • +
  • The Colony Advisor tells you which units are present in each of your + colonies, what each colony is producing, which buildings have already + been built, and which building is currently being built. +
    • +
  • The Foreign Affairs Advisor tells you about your relations with + foreign powers, the number of colonies and units they possess, as well + as their relative naval and military strength, and the amount of gold + they possess. As soon as Jan de Witt has joined the Continental + Congress, you are also informed about the number of Founding Fathers, + the current tax and the current Sons of Liberty membership of your + opponents. +
    • +
  • The Indian Advisor tells you about your relations with the various + Indian nations, and the number of settlements they possess. +
    • +
  • The Continental Congress Advisor tells you which Founding + Fathers are already present in the Continental Congress and which + Founding Father is currently being elected. +
    • +
  • The Military Advisor informs you of the deployment of your military + units, as well as the strength of the Royal Expeditionary Force. +
    • +
  • The Naval Advisor informs you of the whereabouts of your naval + units, as well as the strength of the Royal Expeditionary Force. +
    • +
  • The Trade Advisor details the current market prices of all goods, the + profits before and after taxes you have made, as well as the amount of + goods present in each of your colonies. Colonies that have already built + the Custom House are highlighted, as are all goods that are currently + being automatically exported from these colonies. + + +
    • +
  • The Turn Report presents a summary of various events that have + occurred during the current turn. If no such events have occurred, the + Turn Report will not open. +
    • +
  • The Requirements Report gives an account of how well certain + requirements of your colonies are met. It tells you which colonies require + expert units and where these units can be obtained or trained, for + example. It also tells you which colonies require raw materials in order + to increase their production of manufactured goods, and which colonies + produce a surplus of these materials. +
    • +
  • The Exploration Report provides some information about the + regions you have discovered and named. If you did not select the + exploration option, then the report will only show you when you + discovered the Pacific Ocean, provided you did discover it. +
    • +
  • The History Report contains a short overview of important events + that took place during the game, such as the first meeting with native + tribes, the foundation and abandonment of colonies, among other + things. +
    • +
  • The Production Report provides you with an overview of the + production of up to four different kinds of goods in your colonies, as + well as the buildings that produce these goods. +
    • +
  • The Education Report shows you the schoolhouses, colleges and + universities in your colonies, as well as a list of potential teachers and + potential students. +
    • +
  • The menu item “Show Difficulty Level” displays the difficulty level of + the current game. + + +
    • +
  • The menu item “Show Game Options” displays the Game Options of + the current game. +
    • +
  • The menu item “Show Map Generator Options” displays the options + that produced the map used by the current game. +
    • +
+

The Colopedia Menu provides access to the online game help, which is divided + into eight sections: +

    +
  • The terrain section contains information on all the different types of + terrain you may encounter in the New World. +
    • +
  • The bonus resources section lists the special resources of the New + World. These resources greatly increase the production of certain goods. + In some cases, tiles can only produce particular goods if a resource is + present. +
    • +
  • The goods section gives on overview of all the types of goods in the + game. +
    • +
  • The unit section provides details on various types of units, your own as + well native units and units of the Royal Expeditionary Force. Skilled + units are not included. +
    • +
  • The skills section lists the various expert units you may recruit or train. +
    • +
  • The buildings section provides information on the various constructions + you may build in your colonies. + + +
    • +
  • The Founding Father section can be used to look up information on the + various Founding Fathers you may elect to the Continental Congress. +
    • +
  • The nations section tells you which nations are available in the game, + which national advantage they currently have, and which one they have + by default. +
    • +
  • The national advantages section tells you which national advantages + are available. Some advantages only apply to European players, others + only to native players. +
    • +
+

+

3.3.2 The Info Panel

+

+ +

If you are in unit view mode (the default), the info panel in the lower right + corner of the screen either shows information about the currently selected unit, or + contains a button to end the current turn if no unit is selected. If a unit is + selected, then the info panel shows an image of the unit, as well as its name and + the moves it has left. If the unit is a carrier unit, such as a ship or wagon train, + the info panel also shows the units or goods on board of the carrier. If + the unit is a pioneer, the info panel shows the number of tools the unit + carries. + +

If a unit is displayed, you can click on the info panel in order to centre the + map on this unit. + +

If you are in terrain view mode, then the info panel displays the name, owner, + defense bonus, movement cost and potential production of the selected tile. You + can switch between view modes by pressing Shift-Ctrl-V, or by using the view + menu. + +

+

3.3.3 The Minimap

+

+ + + +

The minimap in the lower left corner of the screen shows you a more abstract + view of the map than the main map. Different types of terrain are distinguished + by colour, and units and settlements are also represented by dots in the colour of + the nation that owns them. You can use the minimap to navigate around + the map quickly. Either click on the minimap to center the view on a + certain point, or drag the white frame around. Zoom buttons to the left + and to the right of the minimap allow you to zoom into and out of the + view. + +

+

3.3.4 The Unit Buttons

+

+ +

The unit buttons displayed between the minimap and the info panel allow + you to give order to your units. Note that not all buttons are always + active. A ship can not plow a tile, for example, so the plow button is never + active if the selected unit is a ship. The eight buttons have the following + functions: +

    +
  • wait +
    • +
  • skip turn +
    • +
  • fortify +
    • +
  • clear forest / plow tile (requires 20 tools) +
    • +
  • build road (requires 20 tools) +
    • +
  • build colony +
    • +
  • disband unit
    • +
+ + +

All these actions are also available from the Orders Menu of the menu bar, and + as keyboard shortcuts. + +

+

3.3.5 The Compass Rose

+

+ +

The compass rose can be displayed in the top right corner and allows you to + give your units movement orders by clicking on the corresponding direction. It is + primarily intended for users who do not wish to (or are unable to) use the + keyboard shortcuts. + +

+

3.3.6 The Main Map

+

+ +

The main map shows you the New World in greater detail. You can see + the different types of terrain, forested and otherwise, hills, mountains, + rivers, and, of course, the various units and settlements of the native + and European players. Sometimes units will be all grey—this shows the + position of the unit when you could last see that tile, but does not guarantee + that the unit is still there. Left click on a tile in order to center the main + map, or on a unit in order to select it (a display option allows you to + decide whether the map should always centre on the selected unit, or + not). + +

Your colonies as well as those of your opponents are displayed on the map. + You can see their names as well as their sizes, which are displayed as a number + and also influence the image used to represent them. The color of the colony’s + name is always the color of its owner, but the color of the colony size + indicates whether any production bonuses or penalties apply (at normal + difficulty): +

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Colour + Bonus/Penalty + Requirements +
+
+ 		+
+ 		+
+
Red + -2 + more than eight tories +
Orange + -1 + four to seven tories +
White + 0 + less than four tories and less than 50% SoL +
Green + +1 + 50% SoL or more +
Blue + +2 + 100% SoL +
- - -

-

The main screen consists of up to six different areas: the menu bar -at the top, the minimap in the lower left corner, the info panel in the -lower right corner, the order buttons between the minimap and the info -panel, the compass rose in the top right corner, and the main map in the -background. The units, colonies, and so forth can be seen on the main -map. They are also represented as coloured dots on the minimap. The -preferences menu allows you to disable some of these controls if you wish to do -so. -

-

3.3.1 The Menubar

-

-

The menubar contains the Game, View, Orders, Report and Colopedia -submenus at the left hand of the screen, as well as a status area at the right hand -of the screen. The status area displays your score, the amount of gold you possess, -your current tax rate and the current turn. -

The Game Menu allows you to: -

-

The View Menu allows you to: -

-

The Orders Menu enables you to give orders to the currently selected -unit: -

-

Note that not all orders are available at all times. The build colony order is -only available if the unit is able to build colonies and the tile it is on will support -a colony, for example. The unload order is only available if the unit is carrying -goods. You can unload the goods anywhere, but if you are not in Europe or in a -colony, the goods will be lost. You can use this feature to dump unwanted cargo in -order to avoid the cargo penalty. -

The Reports Menu provides access to various reports on the current state of -your colonies. In these reports, icons as well as blue text strings link to the places -they refer to. If you click on the name of a colony, for example, the Colony Panel -will be opened. -

+

You can customize these settings in the preferences dialog. + +

+

3.4 The Europe Panel

+

+ +

The figure 3.2 represents the Europe panel. +

+
+ + + + + +
+

+ +

PIC +
+

Figure 3.2: The Europe Panel
+
+ + +

+
+

In this panel, you can control the ships sailing between America and Europe, + as well as the ships currently docked in Europe. You can also buy goods, recruit, + purchase and train units. Units recruited, purchased or trained are visible in the + Docks Area in the Europe panel. + +

If a ship has set sail for Europe or America, you can change its direction by + dragging it from the Going to America box to the Going to Europe box (or vice + versa). + +

If a ship has docked at the European port you can drag and drop units + between the Docks and Cargo panel. You drag and drop goods between the Cargo + panel and the Market panel. If you want to buy or sell less than 100 units of + goods, press the shift key while dragging. This will allow you to specify how many + units you wish to transfer. If you press the “Unload” button, all goods will be + unloaded. + +

If any of the goods are displayed in grey, this means they are being boycotted + by the Crown because you refused a tax raise. You must pay your tax arrears + before you can trade these goods. You can do this by dragging the goods as usual, + in which case you will be given the chance to pay your tax arrears (provided you + have enough money). A small area at the top right of the screen will keep + track of how much money you made or spent and how much taxes you + paid. + +

From time to time, new colonists eager to join you in the New World will + appear on the European Docks. If you are unwilling to wait, you can + also recruit new colonists by paying for their journey to the New World. + Alternatively, you can train expert units at the Royal University. Paying for their + education is expensive, however, and not all types of experts are available in + Europe. + +

Units present in Europe can also be armed, mounted, equipped with tools or + blessed as missionaries in Europe. In order to select one of these actions, you need + to right click on the unit. Note that you will have to pay for the arms, horses + or tools required to equip your units. Blessing a missionary, however, is + free. + +

In order to send a ship back to the New World, you must drag it to the + Going to America section of the Europe panel, or press the “Set sail” + button. + +

+ + +

3.5 The Colony panel

+

+ +

The figure 3.3 represents the Colony panel. +

+
+ + + + + +
+

+ +

PIC +
+

Figure 3.3: The Colony Panel
+
+ + +

+
+

To view a colony’s panel, left click on it from the main screen. In this panel, + colonists can be assigned to cultivate tiles surrounding the colony, to work + in buildings, defend the colony against attackers or wait outside of the + colony. + +

The select box at the top left of the panel displaying the name of the colony + can be used to select a different colony. You can also use the “left” and “right” keys + to “scroll” through your colonies. Next to the colony’s name, the production panel + shows all the goods your colony is producing. + +

Below colony name, you can see the area surrounding the colony to the left + and a scroll pane displaying the buildings of the colony to the right. You can drag + and drop a unit on a tile or a building. Buildings only ever produce a single type + of goods. The tiles surrounding the colony can produce several kinds of goods, + however. If the unit is not producing the right kind of goods, you can right + click on the unit to select a different kind of work. If a tile has a red + border, then it can not be used—it is either assigned to another colony or + settlement, or is occupied by a hostile unit, or is a water tile which can not + be used until you have built docks. Note that if you drag a unit onto a + tile owned by the natives you may be offered the chance to purchase the + land. + +

Below the surrounding area, you can see the population panel, which displays + the size of your colony, the number and percentage of colonists that support + independence, the number and percentage of colonists that support the crown, as + well as the current production bonus. + +

Below the status panel, the port panel shows you any ships or wagon trains in + the colony. If there is at least one unit present, the cargo panel below the port + panel shows you the cargo of the selected carrier (if any). + +

On the right hand side of the panel, you can see the buildings panel, which + displays an image for every building in the colony, as well as the building or unit + currently being built. You can see the units working in a building, as well as its + production. If you let the mouse hover over a building, you can see a slightly + larger and more detailed view. You can click on any building in order to open the + build queue dialog, which enables you to create a list of units and buildings to + build. + +

Below the buildings panel, the outside colony panel shows you which colonists + are present on the same tile, but are not working inside the colony. Any units + shown here are able to defend the colony against attacks. + +

Below this panels, you can see the colony’s warehouse area. You can drag and + + + drop goods from the warehouse to the cargo panel and vice versa in order to load + and unload your ships or wagon trains. Press the shift key while selecting goods if + you do not wish to select all the goods present, or less than one hundred + units. + +

The Warehouse can only hold a certain amount of goods of each type. Its + initial capacity is limited to 100 units of each type of goods, but it can be + increased to 300 by building two Warehouse Expansions. If the current limit of the + warehouse is exceeded, the number of goods is printed in red. If you do + not store the excess units elsewhere, they will be lost at the end of the + turn. + +

If you have already built a Custom House in the colony, you can export goods + to Europe automatically. Goods marked to be exported are printed in + green. Open the warehouse dialog (see below) in order to change export + settings. + +

At the bottom of the Colony Screen, you will see a row of buttons, not all of + which are always active. These buttons will allow you to +

+

You can drag and drop colonists to and from buildings, tiles surrounding the + colony, ships and the area outside of the colony. You can also use the right click + menu of any unit to assign it to a work place, equip it, or place it outside of the + colony (unless it already is outside of the colony). + +

+ + +

3.5.1 The Warehouse Dialog

+

+ +

The warehouse dialog allows you to set the warning levels for all types of + goods. If you have turned on the warnings about goods levels, you will receive a + warning if the number of goods drops below the lower level or rises above the + higher level. In a warehouse with a capacity of 100 units of each type of + goods, the lower level is set to 10 and the higher level is set to 90 by + default. + +

The export level allows you to specify how many goods should be kept in + reserve if goods are automatically exported from this colony, either through the + Custom House, or by a carrier following a Trade Route. A checkbox indicates + whether this type of goods should be exported through the Custom House or not. + If you have not yet built a Custom House in this colony, the checkbox is + disabled. + +

+

3.5.2 The Build Queue Panel

+

+ +

Clicking on a building (not one of the units working in the building) opens the + build queue panel, which allows you to select which items the colony should build. + The panel consists of three sub-panels, the unit panel on the left, the buildings + panel on the right and the build queue in the centre. You can drag and drop + items from the unit panel and the buildings panel to the build queue and + back. You can also double-click an item in the unit panel or the building + panel to add it to the build queue, and you can double-click an item in + the build queue to remove it. Right-click an item to see its entry in the + Colopedia. + +

The panel contains a checkbox that switches between the compact view, + which shows only the names of the buildable items, and the icon view, + which also shows the goods required to build each item. Another checkbox + allows you to see items that the colony can not build at this time because + it lacks the necessary population, or because some other requirement + has not yet been met. You can also add these items, which are marked + with a small lock icon, to the build queue, but not as the head of the + queue. + + + +

The “buy building” button allows you to buy the building at the top of the + build queue, provided that you have enough gold. + +

+

3.6 Customization

+

+ +

The FreeCol user interface can be customized to a certain degree. In the + directory where FreeCol is installed, you will find a sub-directory called data, + which contains configuration files and multimedia assets. These include the images + used to represent units, goods, buildings and various other objects that appear in + the game, sounds to play when certain events occur and so forth. You can replace + them if you wish. + +

The sub-directory data/base/ contains assets that are used for the user + interface in general, independent of the rules used for a particular game. The + sub-directory data/base/resources/fonts contains several fonts that are + distributed with FreeCol, including the file ShadowedBlack.ttf, which contains + the black letter font used to display headlines and the titles of panels. The file + data/base/resources.properties allows you to configure how the assets are + used. + +

The line + +

+

+

NormalFont=urn:font:Serif-PLAIN-13

+

for example, selects the font called “Serif” with font style “plain” + and font size + 13. Instead of “Serif”, you could use any other font that is known to the Java + Virtual Machine of your system. In general, this includes all fonts installed by the + operating system (rather than individual applications). + +

Please note that FreeCol uses a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) to + identify the font. For this reason, you must obey the usual quoting rules. In + particular, you must use the string %20 instead of a space character in the font + name. + +

Alternately you can also use fonts that are not known to the JVM. You can + copy it to the fonts directory mentioned above and add it to the configuration file + by adding a line like this: + + + +

+

+

MyFavouriteFont=resources/fonts/Chancery.ttf

+

Then you could say: + +

+

+

NormalFont=urn:font:Black%20Chancery-PLAIN-13

+

Instead of MyFavouriteFont, you can any key you like, as long as it is not + being used for anything else. This line will add your font to the list of fonts known + to the JVM, and you can then use its name, which is, however, likely to differ + from the file name. The file Chancery.ttf, for example, contains a font called + “Black Chancery”. + +

+ + +

Chapter 4
The New World

+

+ +

At the beginning of the game, you will start with a naval vessel and two + colonists. Your first task will be to discover the New World, which should lie due + West, although sailing North West or South West may prove quicker. As soon as + you have discovered land, you can establish your colonies and produce goods to + send home to Europe. + +

+

4.1 Terrain Types

+

+ +

There are many different types of terrain in the New World, each with its own + peculiar advantages. At the beginning of the game you will probably arrive at a + High Seas tile (or at the edge of the map). High Seas tiles (and the + map edge) allow you to sail between Europe and the New World. As you + approach land, the High Seas will be replaced by Ocean tiles, which produce + Fish. + +

In the New World, you will also discover Plains, which produce a great deal of + Grain, a lesser amount of Cotton, and some Ore; Grassland, on which Grain and + Tobacco can be cultivated; Prairie, which are suitable for growing Grain and + Cotton; Savannah, which produces Grain and Sugar; Marsh, where Grain can + be cultivated and some Ore can be mined; Swamp, which yields some Grain, and + small amounts of Sugar, Tobacco and Ore; Desert, which produce some Food, + Cotton and Ore; as well as Tundra, where Grain can be grown, and some Ore + can be mined. + +

Large parts of the New World are covered in forests, all of which yield varying + amounts of Grain, Lumber and Furs. The Boreal Forest also produces Ore, the + Mixed Forest Cotton, the Conifer Forest Tobacco, the Tropical Forest + Sugar, the Rain Forest produces small amounts of Ore, Sugar and Tobacco, the + Wetland Forest and the Scrub Forest yield some Ore, and the Broadleaf + Forest Cotton. + +

The Hills produce a small amount of Grain, and can be mined for Ore and a + lesser amount of Silver. The Mountains are unsuitable for agriculture, but yield + some Ore and Silver. Arctic tiles are the least useful type of terrain, as they + produce nothing at all. Terrain types that produce no Grain, such as the + Mountains and Arctic types, can not support colonies. + +

Clearing or plowing a tile, and building a road require spending 20 tools. + + + Therefore, these actions can only be carried out by units carrying at least 20 + tools. You can equip your units in your colonies or in Europe. + +

+

4.2 Goods

+

+ +

The New World produces many goods, which can be traded in Europe. In + order to this, you must use your ships to transport them to your Home Port. As + soon as the ship arrives in Europe, you can sell the goods, and buy others, in the + Europe Panel. Later in the game, after you have built Custom Houses, goods can + be exported automatically. Until then, you can partially automate this process by + establishing Trade Routes. + +

Exporting these goods to Europe will be one of your most important sources of + income. At the beginning of the game, you will probably want to export raw + materials, such as Sugar and Tobacco, but as prices drop, you should + concentrate on luxury products, such as Rum and Cigars, which command + higher prices. + + + +

Food is the single most important good, since all your colonists consume two + units of food each turn. If this demand can not be met, some of your colonists will + starve to death. On the other hand, a colony that has accumulated 200 units + of food will produce a new Free Colonist. Unfortunately, buying food + in Europe is always expensive, and colonial foodstuffs fetch only poor + prices. + +

Food is produced from two basic food stuffs, Grain, which can be + cultivated on nearly all land tiles, and Fish, which is produced by ocean + and lake tiles. To harvest the bounty of the sea, you will need a Dock, + however. + + + +

Horses are special in several ways. Horses will survive by grazing in your + colonies’ Pastures, but in order to reproduce they require grain, and there have to + be at least two of them. Horses live in herds, and each herd produces no more + than two new horses per turn. In the Pasture, a herd consists of fifty horses, but + in the Stables, a herd consists of only twenty-five horses, effectively doubling + + + the number of horses you can breed per turn (provided you have enough + food). + +

The number of horses you can breed is further limited by the fact + that horses feed only on grain and not on fish. And Pastures and Stables + consume no more than half the food surplus available. In other words, + you can not breed more horses by filling your colonies’ warehouses with + grain. + +

Four raw materials are typical for the New World. They will initially generate + a good income, but prices will inevitably drop. These goods are Sugar, which is + best cultivated on Savannah tiles, Tobacco, best cultivated on Grassland, + Cotton, which is most abundant on Prairie tiles, and Furs, which are available + on all forested tiles, but most abundantly on Boreal Forest and Mixed Forest + tiles. + +

These four materials can be used to produce corresponding luxury goods, + which will fetch much higher prices in Europe. In a distillery, Rum is produced + from Sugar. Tobacco is used to make Cigars in the Tobacconist’s House. The + Weaver weaves Cloth from Cotton in his house, and the Fur Trader turns Furs + into Coats in his house. + +

Initially, the resource which fetches the highest prices in Europe is Silver, + which can be mined in the Mountains. Small amounts of silver can also be + produced on Swamp and Marsh tiles with a minerals resource. + +

As prices drop, Silver will become less and less useful, however. On the other + hand, Hills and Mountains also produce Ore, which is not in great demand in + Europe, but which can be refined to produce Tools in the Blacksmith’s House. + Tools are required for clearing forests and plowing fields, as well as for + constructing advanced buildings and units. Furthermore, Muskets can be + produced from Tools in the Armory. + + + +

Lumber also fetches poor prices in Europe, but can be used to produce + Hammers in the Carpenter’s House. Hammers are required for constructing all + buildings, as well as naval units and Wagon Trains. Hammers are “abstract” goods + that can neither be transported nor traded. They represent the work required to + finish a building rather than some tangible material. + +

The two other “abstract” goods are Liberty Bells, which are produced in the + Town Hall, and Crosses, which are generated by the Church. They represent the + concepts of liberty and of religious freedom. Liberty Bells produce liberty + points, which are needed to convince your colonists of your policies, and to + + + elect Founding Fathers to the Continental Congress. Crosses generate + immigration points, which are needed to attract further immigrants in + Europe. + + + +

Trade Goods, on the other hand, can be transported and traded, but they + can not be produced in your colonies. They are only available in Europe and are + useful for trading with native settlements, which generally demand Trade + Goods. + +

+

4.2.1 Trade Routes

+

+ +

The orders menu allows you to assign a Trade Route to a ship or wagon + train. If you select this order, the trade route dialog, which enables you to + select a trade route or create a new trade route, will open. If you have not + created a trade route, you must use the edit trade route dialog to do so + first. + +

A trade route consists of two or more stops, which may either be the Home + Port, or one of your colonies. Select a destination from the select box and press + the add new stop button. If you select the special destination all colonies, + then your Home Port and all your colonies will be added to the list of + stops. + +

If you have selected a destination, you can drag and drop goods from the + goods panel to the cargo panel. These are the goods your ship or wagon train + should have on board when leaving this stop. If the ship or wagon train + arrives at the destination with other goods on board, these goods will be + unloaded. + +

Note that the ships and wagon trains will take the capacity and settings of the + warehouses in your colonies into account. They will not unload cargo that would + be wasted and they will only load goods that should not be kept in reserve. This + means that they may wait for a long time until a sufficient number of goods + becomes available. + +

As soon as a ship or wagon train reaches the last destination of the trade + route, it will continue at the first destination. + +

The behaviour of trade routes can sometimes be confusing. To see + + + exactly what each unit with a trade route is doing, enable the Goods + Movement message type, but beware that there can be many messages of this + type. + +

+

4.3 Special Resources

+

+ +

Some types of terrain can also have special resources, which increase + the production of a particular type of goods. Most of these resources + look just like the goods they will produce. These tiles are particularly + valuable. + +

+

4.4 Native Settlements

+

+ +

The New World is by no means an uninhabited country. Various tribes of + Indians already live there, and make use of the land. When your colonists arrive, + you will have to decide whether you will attempt to peacefully coexist with the + natives, or to wage war. Beware that their culture is unlike that of Europe, + and whenever your peoples come into contact there is a tendency for + misunderstandings and offence, which manifests in increasing tension and eventual + violence. Native chiefs are often well-intentioned, but do not completely control + their hot headed warriors, so be alert for raids from even nominally peaceful + settlements. + +

The native culture is strongly conservationist, which means that building + colonies and improving the surrounding lands will inevitably cause some degree of + alarm. The further your colonies are from native settlements, the less alarm they + cause, and doubly so for the native capital. Similarly, the larger your colonies get, + the greater the alarm caused. + +

The French player has the advantage of generating only half the alarm among + the natives. The Spanish player has the advantage of greater military efficiency + against the natives. Your choice of Home Country may influence your strategy— + or vice versa. + +

Small Native Settlements use the tile they are built on and all the adjacent + + + tiles, just like your Colonies do, and possibly more nearby tiles. Large Native + Settlements also use tiles that are two moves away, and possibly more. If the + settlement is a nation’s capital its radius is also increased. Every native + settlement is marked with a small rectangle containing either a ‘-’ for a normal + settlement or a ‘*’ for a capital, on a background of the native nation + colour. + +

Your colonists can not use tiles that are already used by natives. If + they attempt to do so, the natives will demand some gold for the land. + You must then decide whether to pay their price, take the land away + from the by force, or to leave the land alone. Naturally, the natives will + not be pleased if you take the land away from them. As soon as Peter + Minuit has joined the Continental Congress, however, the natives no longer + demand payment for their land nor become immediately displeased if it is + taken. Note though that every tile you own makes your colony look more + threatening. + +

A special case exists for the center tile of the colonies you found. In the + “classic” ruleset and/or by default in when playing under the “Very Easy” + difficulty level the center tile does not have to be paid for. “Easy” difficulty + restricts this to only apply to a single colony, “Normal” to a single colony and + requires the tribe you are stealing land to have not been contacted, and other + levels require payment as usual. + +

Armed units near their settlements will alarm the natives and poison your + relations. If the natives are happy, they will come to your colonies offering gifts. If + they are unhappy, they will come and make demands instead. If they get really + angry, they may attack your units or colonies. After a few turns, however, they + will usually calm down again. + +

Some types of units may enter Native Settlements. Units that carry + goods, such as Wagon Trains and Ships, can enter the settlements and + trade with them. Trade always improves your relations with the natives. + If you offer your goods as a gift, this will improve your relations even + more. + +

Scouts can either ask to speak with the chief of the tribe, or demand tribute, + which is obviously not good for your relations with the natives. If your scout + speaks with the chief, you will learn which skill this settlement teaches and + which goods the natives would prefer to acquire. Furthermore, the chief + may offer you some gold, or tell you about nearby lands. If your Scout + is not a Seasoned Scout already, he may become so. Scouts are always + welcome to revisit friendly settlements which will update the skill and goods + + + information, but the special benefits are only available to the first scout + (of any nation) that visits (or any unit, if the “Chief contact” option is + set). Settlements which are unscouted to the best of your knowledge are + decorated with a dollar sign on the settlement tile popup and Indian + Advisor. + +

Free Colonists and Indentured Servants may enter a settlement in order to + learn the skills of the natives. + +

Missionaries, which may be either Jesuit Missionaries or ordinary colonists + blessed as missionaries in the Home Port or any colony with a Church, are able to + establish a Mission or to incite the natives against another European nation. If a + Jesuit Missionary, or an ordinary colonist blessed as a missionary is equipped with + tools, muskets or horses, he loses his missionary status and is no longer able to + establish a mission. + +

The presence of a Mission will reduce tension between the natives and + your colonists. In time, some of the natives may also convert and join + your colonies as Indian Converts. If the settlement already contains the + mission of another European country, your missionary may denounce + the teachings of that mission as a heresy. If he is successful, the natives + will burn down the old mission and your missionary establishes a new + one. + +

Note that the missionary will always remain in the settlement. He is effectively + lost to you. The presence of a mission is shown by a second small rectangle + with a cross on it. A black cross denotes an expert missionary, and the + background colour of the rectangle is that of the nation that created the + mission. + +

There is also a third rectangle shown on native settlements that you have + contacted. This will contain an exclamation mark if your scouts have visited it + and spoken to the chief, or a question mark if it has been contacted in some other + way. The background colour will be that of the nation that is causing that + settlement the most alarm. If your nation is the most alarming, the rectangle may + be partially filled, giving a rough measure of the amount of alarm you have + generated. + +

Good native relations are most helpful at the start of the game when you have + relatively few military units. As the game progresses the natives pose less of a + threat, due to your colonies becoming more heavily fortified and defended by + artillery (artillery is particularly effective against native raiders). It usually takes + many years before all out war breaks out with your neighbouring tribes, but it is + very difficult to completely avoid. + + + +

+

4.5 Lost City Rumours

+

+ +

In the New World, there are also rumours about Lost Cities, such as + El Dorado, or Cíbola. The natives do not explore these sites, but your + colonists can and, in fact, must do so if they enter a tile with a Lost City + Rumour. It is not possible to farm a tile with a Lost City Rumour on + it. + +

Mostly, the rumour proves to be nothing but a rumour. Occasionally, you + might disturb the burial grounds of a native tribe, which will cause the tribe to + declare war on you. It is also possible that your expedition simply vanishes + without a trace. + +

On the other hand, you might also discover a small tribe and a few trinkets. + Your colonist might become a Seasoned Scout if he has no other skill, you might + discover the sole survivor of a lost colony, or even one of the Seven Cities of Gold, + and a Treasure Train. + +

Possibly the best outcome is the discovery of the Fountain of Youth, + which will cause numerous colonists to appear on the docks in your Home + Port. + +

As soon as Hernando de Soto has joined the Continental Congress, Lost City + Rumours never yield negative results. + +

+

4.6 Exploration

+

+ +

The original Colonization game awarded exploration points only for the + discovery of the Pacific Ocean. This is also the default behaviour for FreeCol. + However, you may choose to play with exploration points, in which case you will + be awarded exploration points for the discovery of a new region of the New + World. + +

A region may be either a large area of land, a mountain range, or a river + valley. If you discover a region, you will be asked to name it, and you will be + awarded a number of exploration points depending on the size of the region + + + discovered. + +

+ + +

Chapter 5
Colonies

+

+ +

+

5.1 Picking a suitable site

+

+ +

Your colonies are your most important assets in the new world. Therefore, it is + very important to build them in the right place. There are several aspects to + consider: + +

+

5.1.1 The colony tile

+

+ +

The tile your colony is built on is special in several ways. It is the only tile + that produces more than one type of goods at the same time and neither requires + nor allows the presence of a colonist to do so. On the other hand, you can not + choose which types of goods to produce. The colony tile will always produce some + kind of food as its primary product, and some raw material other than + lumber or silver as its secondary product. The production of food can be + increased by plowing the colony tile, but the secondary production will + not benefit from artificial tile improvements such as fields and roads. It + will, however, benefit from natural tile improvements such as rivers and + resources. + +

Some terrain types are more suitable for establishing a colony than others. + Colonies can not be built on Arctic tiles, nor on Mountains, because these terrain + types produce no Grain. Hills and Deserts are less suitable than other + tiles because they produce less food, which is very important in the long + run. Tiles with forest generally produce less food than tiles without, but + Pioneers are able to cut down the forest and plow the tile, which will + increase food production. The presence of a river will also increase food + production. + +

The Hills produce a small amount of Grain, and can be mined for Ore and a + lesser amount of Silver. The Mountains are unsuitable for agriculture, but yield + some Ore and Silver. Arctic tiles are the least useful type of terrain, as they + produce nothing at all. Terrain types that produce no Grain, such as the + Mountains and Arctic types, can not support colonies. + + + +

The New World is also irrigated by minor and major rivers. The production of + most types of Goods is increased by the presence of rivers as well as roads, which + your Pioneers can build. All terrain types which produce Grain (except the Hills) + can also be plowed by your Pioneers in order increase grain production. If the tile + is forested, you must first clear the forest and transform the tile into open + land: +

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Forested → Cleared +
+
+ 		+
+
Boreal Forest → Tundra +
Mixed Forest → Plains +
Conifer Forest → Grassland +
Tropical Forest → Savannah +
Wetland Forest → Marsh +
Rain Forest → Swamp +
Scrub Forest → Desert +
Broadleaf Forest → Prairie +
→
- - - -

Left click on a colony in order to open the colony panel. If there is an active -unit outside of the colony on the same tile, then a single left click will select -the unit instead. In this case, a double click will still open the colony -panel. -

Right clicking on an empty tile, will either display some information on that -tile if no unit is selected, or open a pop-up menu that additionally allows you to -send the selected unit to this tile. If the tile contains some of your units, the menu -will also enable you to select each of these units. If the tile contains a -native settlement, the menu will also provide you with an item that will -bring up some information on that settlement. If the tile contains one -of your own colonies, the menu will also allow you to open the colony -panel. -

You can also activate the map scroll by moving the cursor towards the edges of -the main map. Scrolling with the minimap is faster, however. -

If a unit is selected, further information about that unit is displayed in the info -panel, and you can move the unit using the numeric keypad or the compass rose. -If you select a unit with the left mouse button and drag the mouse, the main map -will display the best path from the unit’s current position to the tile the mouse is -hovering over. -

The tiles the path consists of will be marked with boots if the unit is on foot, -with horseshoes if the unit is mounted, with wheels if the unit is a wagon train, or -with sextants if the unit is a naval unit. Full-colour symbols mark tiles that can -be reached in the same turn, whereas shaded symbols mark tiles that -can be reached only in subsequent turns. A number indicates how many -turns later the unit will arrive on this tile. You can see this on the main -screen. -

-

-

PIC PIC PIC PIC

-

Once you release the mouse button, the selected unit will begin to follow this -path. It will awake once it has arrived at its destination or if it can no longer -follow the path (if a unit belonging to a different player is in the way, for -instance). You can also press the middle mouse button, or both mouse buttons if -your mouse only has two buttons, in order to give the selected unit a movement -order. - - - -

In the original Colonization game, a unit always used up all movement points -when entering a colony. In FreeCol, this is not the case—a unit can enter a colony -just like any other tile. If the unit is placed in a building, or on a colony tile, or if -a carrier is loaded or unloaded, however, it will lose all its movement -points. -

Units are marked with small coloured shields, which may or may not display a -letter. The background colour indicates the nation this unit belongs to. The -Dutch units, for example, are usually marked with orange shields. The letter -indicates the current state of the unit: -

- - - -

If the unit is a foreign naval unit, the shield will display a number instead. -This is the number of holds this unit is using. -

Indian Settlements display at least two shields: The colour of the first shield -indicates the nation this settlement belongs to. A * on this shield indicates that -this settlement is the nation’s capital, a - that it is not. The second shield, which -bears an exclamation mark (!) if you have visited the settlement, and a -question mark (?) if you have not, indicates the current relations between the -nation and your colonists. Its background may be green, blue, yellow, -orange or red, depending on whether your relations are good, mediocre or -bad. -

A Settlement with a European mission displays a third shield bearing a -cross on a black or grey background. The colour of the cross indicates the -European nation that established the mission. The background of the shield is -black if the mission was established by a Jesuit Missionary, and grey -otherwise. -

The preferences menu allows you to select “modern” colony labels instead of -these “classic” labels. The modern labels display the same information, but in a -slightly different way. -

The order buttons represent some of the orders you can give to your units. You -can move your mouse over the buttons to see their respective orders. If a unit is -unable to perform a certain action, the corresponding order button will be -disabled. The orders are also available from the Orders Menu, and you can use the -following keyboard shortcuts: -

-

You can customize these settings in the preferences dialog. -

-

3.4 The Europe Panel

-

-

The figure 3.2 represents the Europe panel.

- - - - - - - -
-

-

PIC -

Figure 3.2: The Europe Panel
-
- - - -

-

In this panel, you can control the ships sailing between America and Europe, -as well as the ships currently docked in Europe. You can also buy goods, recruit, -purchase and train units. Units recruited, purchased or trained are visible in the -Docks Area in the Europe panel. -

If a ship has set sail for Europe or America, you can change its direction by -dragging it from the Going to America box to the Going to Europe box (or vice -versa). -

If a ship has docked at the European port you can drag and drop units -between the Docks and Cargo panel. You drag and drop goods between the Cargo -panel and the Market panel. If you want to buy or sell less than 100 units of -goods, press the shift key while dragging. This will allow you to specify how many -units you wish to transfer. If you press the “Unload” button, all goods will be -unloaded. -

If any of the goods are displayed in grey, this means they are being boycotted -by the Crown because you refused a tax raise. You must pay your tax arrears -before you can trade these goods. You can do this by dragging the goods as usual, -in which case you will be given the chance to pay your tax arrears (provided you -have enough money). A small area at the top right of the screen will keep -track of how much money you made or spent and how much taxes you -paid. -

From time to time, new colonists eager to join you in the New World will -appear on the European Docks. If you are unwilling to wait, you can -also recruit new colonists by paying for their journey to the New World. -Alternatively, you can train expert units at the Royal University. Paying for their -education is expensive, however, and not all types of experts are available in -Europe. -

Units present in Europe can also be armed, mounted, equipped with tools or -blessed as missionaries in Europe. In order to select one of these actions, you need -to right click on the unit. Note that you will have to pay for the arms, horses -or tools required to equip your units. Blessing a missionary, however, is -free. -

In order to send a ship back to the New World, you must drag it to the -Going to America section of the Europe panel, or press the “Set sail” -button. -

- - - -

3.5 The Colony panel

-

-

The figure 3.3 represents the Colony panel.

- - - - - - - -
-

-

PIC -

Figure 3.3: The Colony Panel
-
- - - -

-

To view a colony’s panel, left click on it from the main screen. In this panel, -colonists can be assigned to cultivate tiles surrounding the colony, to work -in buildings, defend the colony against attackers or wait outside of the -colony. -

The select box at the top left of the panel displaying the name of the colony -can be used to select a different colony. You can also use the “left” and “right” keys -to “scroll” through your colonies. Next to the colony’s name, the production panel -shows all the goods your colony is producing. -

Below colony name, you can see the area surrounding the colony to the left -and a scroll pane displaying the buildings of the colony to the right. You can drag -and drop a unit on a tile or a building. Buildings only ever produce a single type -of goods. The tiles surrounding the colony can produce several kinds of goods, -however. If the unit is not producing the right kind of goods, you can right -click on the unit to select a different kind of work. If a tile has a red -border, then it can not be used—it is either assigned to another colony or -settlement, or is occupied by a hostile unit, or is a water tile which can not -be used until you have built docks. Note that if you drag a unit onto a -tile owned by the natives you may be offered the chance to purchase the -land. -

Below the surrounding area, you can see the population panel, which displays -the size of your colony, the number and percentage of colonists that support -independence, the number and percentage of colonists that support the crown, as -well as the current production bonus. -

Below the status panel, the port panel shows you any ships or wagon trains in -the colony. If there is at least one unit present, the cargo panel below the port -panel shows you the cargo of the selected carrier (if any). -

On the right hand side of the panel, you can see the buildings panel, which -displays an image for every building in the colony, as well as the building or unit -currently being built. You can see the units working in a building, as well as its -production. If you let the mouse hover over a building, you can see a slightly -larger and more detailed view. You can click on any building in order to open the -build queue dialog, which enables you to create a list of units and buildings to -build. -

Below the buildings panel, the outside colony panel shows you which colonists -are present on the same tile, but are not working inside the colony. Any units -shown here are able to defend the colony against attacks. -

Below this panels, you can see the colony’s warehouse area. You can drag and - - - -drop goods from the warehouse to the cargo panel and vice versa in order to load -and unload your ships or wagon trains. Press the shift key while selecting goods if -you do not wish to select all the goods present, or less than one hundred -units. -

The Warehouse can only hold a certain amount of goods of each type. Its -initial capacity is limited to 100 units of each type of goods, but it can be -increased to 300 by building two Warehouse Expansions. If the current limit of the -warehouse is exceeded, the number of goods is printed in red. If you do -not store the excess units elsewhere, they will be lost at the end of the -turn. -

If you have already built a Custom House in the colony, you can export goods -to Europe automatically. Goods marked to be exported are printed in -green. Open the warehouse dialog (see below) in order to change export -settings. -

At the bottom of the Colony Screen, you will see a row of buttons, not all of -which are always active. These buttons will allow you to -

-

You can drag and drop colonists to and from buildings, tiles surrounding the -colony, ships and the area outside of the colony. You can also use the right click -menu of any unit to assign it to a work place, equip it, or place it outside of the -colony (unless it already is outside of the colony). -

- - - -

3.5.1 The Warehouse Dialog

-

-

The warehouse dialog allows you to set the warning levels for all types of -goods. If you have turned on the warnings about goods levels, you will receive a -warning if the number of goods drops below the lower level or rises above the -higher level. In a warehouse with a capacity of 100 units of each type of -goods, the lower level is set to 10 and the higher level is set to 90 by -default. -

The export level allows you to specify how many goods should be kept in -reserve if goods are automatically exported from this colony, either through the -Custom House, or by a carrier following a Trade Route. A checkbox indicates -whether this type of goods should be exported through the Custom House or not. -If you have not yet built a Custom House in this colony, the checkbox is -disabled. -

-

3.5.2 The Build Queue Panel

-

-

Clicking on a building (not one of the units working in the building) opens the -build queue panel, which allows you to select which items the colony should build. -The panel consists of three sub-panels, the unit panel on the left, the buildings -panel on the right and the build queue in the centre. You can drag and drop -items from the unit panel and the buildings panel to the build queue and -back. You can also double-click an item in the unit panel or the building -panel to add it to the build queue, and you can double-click an item in -the build queue to remove it. Right-click an item to see its entry in the -Colopedia. -

The panel contains a checkbox that switches between the compact view, -which shows only the names of the buildable items, and the icon view, -which also shows the goods required to build each item. Another checkbox -allows you to see items that the colony can not build at this time because -it lacks the necessary population, or because some other requirement -has not yet been met. You can also add these items, which are marked -with a small lock icon, to the build queue, but not as the head of the -queue. - - - -

The “buy building” button allows you to buy the building at the top of the -build queue, provided that you have enough gold. -

-

3.6 Customization

-

-

The FreeCol user interface can be customized to a certain degree. In the -directory where FreeCol is installed, you will find a sub-directory called data, -which contains configuration files and multimedia assets. These include the images -used to represent units, goods, buildings and various other objects that appear in -the game, sounds to play when certain events occur and so forth. You can replace -them if you wish. -

The sub-directory data/base/ contains assets that are used for the user -interface in general, independent of the rules used for a particular game. The -sub-directory data/base/resources/fonts contains several fonts that are -distributed with FreeCol, including the file ShadowedBlack.ttf, which contains -the black letter font used to display headlines and the titles of panels. The file -data/base/resources.properties allows you to configure how the assets are -used. -

The line -

-

-

NormalFont=urn:font:Serif-PLAIN-13

-

for example, selects the font called “Serif” with font style “plain” and font size -13. Instead of “Serif”, you could use any other font that is known to the Java -Virtual Machine of your system. In general, this includes all fonts installed by the -operating system (rather than individual applications). -

Please note that FreeCol uses a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) to -identify the font. For this reason, you must obey the usual quoting rules. In -particular, you must use the string %20 instead of a space character in the font -name. -

Alternately you can also use fonts that are not known to the JVM. You can -copy it to the fonts directory mentioned above and add it to the configuration file -by adding a line like this: - - - -

-

-

MyFavouriteFont=resources/fonts/Chancery.ttf

-

Then you could say: -

-

-

NormalFont=urn:font:Black%20Chancery-PLAIN-13

-

Instead of MyFavouriteFont, you can any key you like, as long as it is not -being used for anything else. This line will add your font to the list of fonts known -to the JVM, and you can then use its name, which is, however, likely to differ -from the file name. The file Chancery.ttf, for example, contains a font called -“Black Chancery”. -

- - - -

Chapter 4
The New World

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At the beginning of the game, you will start with a naval vessel and two -colonists. Your first task will be to discover the New World, which should lie due -West, although sailing North West or South West may prove quicker. As soon as -you have discovered land, you can establish your colonies and produce goods to -send home to Europe. -

-

4.1 Terrain Types

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-

There are many different types of terrain in the New World, each with its own -peculiar advantages. At the beginning of the game you will probably arrive at a -High Seas tile (or at the edge of the map). High Seas tiles (and the -map edge) allow you to sail between Europe and the New World. As you -approach land, the High Seas will be replaced by Ocean tiles, which produce -Fish. -

In the New World, you will also discover Plains, which produce a great deal of -Grain, a lesser amount of Cotton, and some Ore; Grassland, on which Grain and -Tobacco can be cultivated; Prairie, which are suitable for growing Grain and -Cotton; Savannah, which produces Grain and Sugar; Marsh, where Grain can -be cultivated and some Ore can be mined; Swamp, which yields some Grain, and -small amounts of Sugar, Tobacco and Ore; Desert, which produce some Food, -Cotton and Ore; as well as Tundra, where Grain can be grown, and some Ore -can be mined. -

Large parts of the New World are covered in forests, all of which yield varying -amounts of Grain, Lumber and Furs. The Boreal Forest also produces Ore, the -Mixed Forest Cotton, the Conifer Forest Tobacco, the Tropical Forest -Sugar, the Rain Forest produces small amounts of Ore, Sugar and Tobacco, the -Wetland Forest and the Scrub Forest yield some Ore, and the Broadleaf -Forest Cotton. -

The Hills produce a small amount of Grain, and can be mined for Ore and a -lesser amount of Silver. The Mountains are unsuitable for agriculture, but yield -some Ore and Silver. Arctic tiles are the least useful type of terrain, as they -produce nothing at all. Terrain types that produce no Grain, such as the -Mountains and Arctic types, can not support colonies. -

Clearing or plowing a tile, and building a road require spending 20 tools. - - - -Therefore, these actions can only be carried out by units carrying at least 20 -tools. You can equip your units in your colonies or in Europe. -

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4.2 Goods

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The New World produces many goods, which can be traded in Europe. In -order to this, you must use your ships to transport them to your Home Port. As -soon as the ship arrives in Europe, you can sell the goods, and buy others, in the -Europe Panel. Later in the game, after you have built Custom Houses, goods can -be exported automatically. Until then, you can partially automate this process by -establishing Trade Routes. -

Exporting these goods to Europe will be one of your most important sources of -income. At the beginning of the game, you will probably want to export raw -materials, such as Sugar and Tobacco, but as prices drop, you should -concentrate on luxury products, such as Rum and Cigars, which command -higher prices. - - -

Food is the single most important good, since all your colonists consume two -units of food each turn. If this demand can not be met, some of your colonists will -starve to death. On the other hand, a colony that has accumulated 200 units -of food will produce a new Free Colonist. Unfortunately, buying food -in Europe is always expensive, and colonial foodstuffs fetch only poor -prices. -

Food is produced from two basic food stuffs, Grain, which can be -cultivated on nearly all land tiles, and Fish, which is produced by ocean -and lake tiles. To harvest the bounty of the sea, you will need a Dock, -however. - - -

Horses are special in several ways. Horses will survive by grazing in your -colonies’ Pastures, but in order to reproduce they require grain, and there have to -be at least two of them. Horses live in herds, and each herd produces no more -than two new horses per turn. In the Pasture, a herd consists of fifty horses, but -in the Stables, a herd consists of only twenty-five horses, effectively doubling - - - -the number of horses you can breed per turn (provided you have enough -food). -

The number of horses you can breed is further limited by the fact -that horses feed only on grain and not on fish. And Pastures and Stables -consume no more than half the food surplus available. In other words, -you can not breed more horses by filling your colonies’ warehouses with -grain. -

Four raw materials are typical for the New World. They will initially generate -a good income, but prices will inevitably drop. These goods are Sugar, which is -best cultivated on Savannah tiles, Tobacco, best cultivated on Grassland, -Cotton, which is most abundant on Prairie tiles, and Furs, which are available -on all forested tiles, but most abundantly on Boreal Forest and Mixed Forest -tiles. -

These four materials can be used to produce corresponding luxury goods, -which will fetch much higher prices in Europe. In a distillery, Rum is produced -from Sugar. Tobacco is used to make Cigars in the Tobacconist’s House. The -Weaver weaves Cloth from Cotton in his house, and the Fur Trader turns Furs -into Coats in his house. -

Initially, the resource which fetches the highest prices in Europe is Silver, -which can be mined in the Mountains. Small amounts of silver can also be -produced on Swamp and Marsh tiles with a minerals resource. -

As prices drop, Silver will become less and less useful, however. On the other -hand, Hills and Mountains also produce Ore, which is not in great demand in -Europe, but which can be refined to produce Tools in the Blacksmith’s House. -Tools are required for clearing forests and plowing fields, as well as for -constructing advanced buildings and units. Furthermore, Muskets can be -produced from Tools in the Armory. - - -

Lumber also fetches poor prices in Europe, but can be used to produce -Hammers in the Carpenter’s House. Hammers are required for constructing all -buildings, as well as naval units and Wagon Trains. Hammers are “abstract” goods -that can neither be transported nor traded. They represent the work required to -finish a building rather than some tangible material. -

The two other “abstract” goods are Liberty Bells, which are produced in the -Town Hall, and Crosses, which are generated by the Church. They represent the -concepts of liberty and of religious freedom. Liberty Bells produce liberty -points, which are needed to convince your colonists of your policies, and to - - - -elect Founding Fathers to the Continental Congress. Crosses generate -immigration points, which are needed to attract further immigrants in -Europe. - - -

Trade Goods, on the other hand, can be transported and traded, but they -can not be produced in your colonies. They are only available in Europe and are -useful for trading with native settlements, which generally demand Trade -Goods. -

-

4.2.1 Trade Routes

-

-

The orders menu allows you to assign a Trade Route to a ship or wagon -train. If you select this order, the trade route dialog, which enables you to -select a trade route or create a new trade route, will open. If you have not -created a trade route, you must use the edit trade route dialog to do so -first. -

A trade route consists of two or more stops, which may either be the Home -Port, or one of your colonies. Select a destination from the select box and press -the add new stop button. If you select the special destination all colonies, -then your Home Port and all your colonies will be added to the list of -stops. -

If you have selected a destination, you can drag and drop goods from the -goods panel to the cargo panel. These are the goods your ship or wagon train -should have on board when leaving this stop. If the ship or wagon train -arrives at the destination with other goods on board, these goods will be -unloaded. -

Note that the ships and wagon trains will take the capacity and settings of the -warehouses in your colonies into account. They will not unload cargo that would -be wasted and they will only load goods that should not be kept in reserve. This -means that they may wait for a long time until a sufficient number of goods -becomes available. -

As soon as a ship or wagon train reaches the last destination of the trade -route, it will continue at the first destination. -

The behaviour of trade routes can sometimes be confusing. To see - - - -exactly what each unit with a trade route is doing, enable the Goods -Movement message type, but beware that there can be many messages of this -type. -

-

4.3 Special Resources

-

-

Some types of terrain can also have special resources, which increase -the production of a particular type of goods. Most of these resources -look just like the goods they will produce. These tiles are particularly -valuable. -

-

4.4 Native Settlements

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The New World is by no means an uninhabited country. Various tribes of -Indians already live there, and make use of the land. When your colonists arrive, -you will have to decide whether you will attempt to peacefully coexist with the -natives, or to wage war. Beware that their culture is unlike that of Europe, -and whenever your peoples come into contact there is a tendency for -misunderstandings and offence, which manifests in increasing tension and eventual -violence. Native chiefs are often well-intentioned, but do not completely control -their hot headed warriors, so be alert for raids from even nominally peaceful -settlements. -

The native culture is strongly conservationist, which means that building -colonies and improving the surrounding lands will inevitably cause some degree of -alarm. The further your colonies are from native settlements, the less alarm they -cause, and doubly so for the native capital. Similarly, the larger your colonies get, -the greater the alarm caused. -

The French player has the advantage of generating only half the alarm among -the natives. The Spanish player has the advantage of greater military efficiency -against the natives. Your choice of Home Country may influence your strategy— -or vice versa. -

Small Native Settlements use the tile they are built on and all the adjacent - - - -tiles, just like your Colonies do, and possibly more nearby tiles. Large Native -Settlements also use tiles that are two moves away, and possibly more. If the -settlement is a nation’s capital its radius is also increased. Every native -settlement is marked with a small rectangle containing either a ‘-’ for a normal -settlement or a ‘*’ for a capital, on a background of the native nation -colour. -

Your colonists can not use tiles that are already used by natives. If -they attempt to do so, the natives will demand some gold for the land. -You must then decide whether to pay their price, take the land away -from the by force, or to leave the land alone. Naturally, the natives will -not be pleased if you take the land away from them. As soon as Peter -Minuit has joined the Continental Congress, however, the natives no longer -demand payment for their land nor become immediately displeased if it is -taken. Note though that every tile you own makes your colony look more -threatening. -

A special case exists for the center tile of the colonies you found. In the -“classic” ruleset and/or by default in when playing under the “Very Easy” -difficulty level the center tile does not have to be paid for. “Easy” difficulty -restricts this to only apply to a single colony, “Normal” to a single colony and -requires the tribe you are stealing land to have not been contacted, and other -levels require payment as usual. -

Armed units near their settlements will alarm the natives and poison your -relations. If the natives are happy, they will come to your colonies offering gifts. If -they are unhappy, they will come and make demands instead. If they get really -angry, they may attack your units or colonies. After a few turns, however, they -will usually calm down again. -

Some types of units may enter Native Settlements. Units that carry -goods, such as Wagon Trains and Ships, can enter the settlements and -trade with them. Trade always improves your relations with the natives. -If you offer your goods as a gift, this will improve your relations even -more. -

Scouts can either ask to speak with the chief of the tribe, or demand tribute, -which is obviously not good for your relations with the natives. If your scout -speaks with the chief, you will learn which skill this settlement teaches and -which goods the natives would prefer to acquire. Furthermore, the chief -may offer you some gold, or tell you about nearby lands. If your Scout -is not a Seasoned Scout already, he may become so. Scouts are always -welcome to revisit friendly settlements which will update the skill and goods - - - -information, but the special benefits are only available to the first scout -(of any nation) that visits (or any unit, if the “Chief contact” option is -set). Settlements which are unscouted to the best of your knowledge are -decorated with a dollar sign on the settlement tile popup and Indian -Advisor. -

Free Colonists and Indentured Servants may enter a settlement in order to -learn the skills of the natives. -

Missionaries, which may be either Jesuit Missionaries or ordinary colonists -blessed as missionaries in the Home Port or any colony with a Church, are able to -establish a Mission or to incite the natives against another European nation. If a -Jesuit Missionary, or an ordinary colonist blessed as a missionary is equipped with -tools, muskets or horses, he loses his missionary status and is no longer able to -establish a mission. -

The presence of a Mission will reduce tension between the natives and -your colonists. In time, some of the natives may also convert and join -your colonies as Indian Converts. If the settlement already contains the -mission of another European country, your missionary may denounce -the teachings of that mission as a heresy. If he is successful, the natives -will burn down the old mission and your missionary establishes a new -one. -

Note that the missionary will always remain in the settlement. He is effectively -lost to you. The presence of a mission is shown by a second small rectangle -with a cross on it. A black cross denotes an expert missionary, and the -background colour of the rectangle is that of the nation that created the -mission. -

There is also a third rectangle shown on native settlements that you have -contacted. This will contain an exclamation mark if your scouts have visited it -and spoken to the chief, or a question mark if it has been contacted in some other -way. The background colour will be that of the nation that is causing that -settlement the most alarm. If your nation is the most alarming, the rectangle may -be partially filled, giving a rough measure of the amount of alarm you have -generated. -

Good native relations are most helpful at the start of the game when you have -relatively few military units. As the game progresses the natives pose less of a -threat, due to your colonies becoming more heavily fortified and defended by -artillery (artillery is particularly effective against native raiders). It usually takes -many years before all out war breaks out with your neighbouring tribes, but it is -very difficult to completely avoid. - - - -

-

4.5 Lost City Rumours

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-

In the New World, there are also rumours about Lost Cities, such as -El Dorado, or Cíbola. The natives do not explore these sites, but your -colonists can and, in fact, must do so if they enter a tile with a Lost City -Rumour. It is not possible to farm a tile with a Lost City Rumour on -it. -

Mostly, the rumour proves to be nothing but a rumour. Occasionally, you -might disturb the burial grounds of a native tribe, which will cause the tribe to -declare war on you. It is also possible that your expedition simply vanishes -without a trace. -

On the other hand, you might also discover a small tribe and a few trinkets. -Your colonist might become a Seasoned Scout if he has no other skill, you might -discover the sole survivor of a lost colony, or even one of the Seven Cities of Gold, -and a Treasure Train. -

Possibly the best outcome is the discovery of the Fountain of Youth, -which will cause numerous colonists to appear on the docks in your Home -Port. -

As soon as Hernando de Soto has joined the Continental Congress, Lost City -Rumours never yield negative results. -

-

4.6 Exploration

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-

The original Colonization game awarded exploration points only for the -discovery of the Pacific Ocean. This is also the default behaviour for FreeCol. -However, you may choose to play with exploration points, in which case you will -be awarded exploration points for the discovery of a new region of the New -World. -

A region may be either a large area of land, a mountain range, or a river -valley. If you discover a region, you will be asked to name it, and you will be -awarded a number of exploration points depending on the size of the region - - - -discovered. -

- - - - - - -

Chapter 5
Colonies

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5.1 Picking a suitable site

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-

Your colonies are your most important assets in the new world. Therefore, it is -very important to build them in the right place. There are several aspects to -consider: -

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5.1.1 The colony tile

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-

The tile your colony is built on is special in several ways. It is the only tile -that produces more than one type of goods at the same time and neither requires -nor allows the presence of a colonist to do so. On the other hand, you can not -choose which types of goods to produce. The colony tile will always produce some -kind of food as its primary product, and some raw material other than -lumber or silver as its secondary product. The production of food can be -increased by plowing the colony tile, but the secondary production will -not benefit from artificial tile improvements such as fields and roads. It -will, however, benefit from natural tile improvements such as rivers and -resources. -

Some terrain types are more suitable for establishing a colony than others. -Colonies can not be built on Arctic tiles, nor on Mountains, because these terrain -types produce no Grain. Hills and Deserts are less suitable than other -tiles because they produce less food, which is very important in the long -run. Tiles with forest generally produce less food than tiles without, but -Pioneers are able to cut down the forest and plow the tile, which will -increase food production. The presence of a river will also increase food -production. -

The Hills produce a small amount of Grain, and can be mined for Ore and a -lesser amount of Silver. The Mountains are unsuitable for agriculture, but yield -some Ore and Silver. Arctic tiles are the least useful type of terrain, as they -produce nothing at all. Terrain types that produce no Grain, such as the -Mountains and Arctic types, can not support colonies. - - - -

The New World is also irrigated by minor and major rivers. The production of -most types of Goods is increased by the presence of rivers as well as roads, which -your Pioneers can build. All terrain types which produce Grain (except the Hills) -can also be plowed by your Pioneers in order increase grain production. If the tile -is forested, you must first clear the forest and transform the tile into open -land: -

- - - - -
Forested → Cleared
Boreal Forest → Tundra
Mixed Forest → Plains
Conifer Forest → Grassland
Tropical Forest → Savannah
Wetland Forest → Marsh
Rain Forest → Swamp
Scrub Forest → Desert
Broadleaf Forest → Prairie
→
-

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5.1.2 The adjacent tiles

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In the early stages of the game, you will need to generate cash by selling -products from the New World in your Home Port. Thus, many of your early -colonies should probably be situated next to bonus tiles, which greatly increase -production. Rivers also increase production, though not as much as a bonus -resource. On the other hand, they increase the production of many different kinds -of goods, unlike a bonus resource. -

In order to improve your colony, you will have to construct various buildings. -This will require large amounts of lumber. For this reason, you should -make sure that at least one tile adjacent to your colony site can produce -sufficient amounts of lumber. You will also need tools to construct advanced -buildings. Therefore, it is an advantage if the colony can also produce ore, -which can be refined to produce tools. However, ore is not as important as -lumber. -

Some of the tiles may be owned by other European powers, or claimed by -Indians. Building a colony too close to other settlements is not a good idea, unless -you plan to conquer or destroy these settlements. Keeping your own colonies close -together is a good strategy, however, as long as you avoid sharing tiles between -several colonies as far as possible. - - - -

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5.1.3 Reforestation

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You can order your pioneers to cut down forests near to your colonies. This -will increase the food produced on these tiles, and cause a large, one-off -amount of lumber to be delivered to your nearest colony. Under the usual -rules, a tile will never produce lumber again once cleared. However, the -“Plant forest” mod, distributed with FreeCol, allows reforestation by your -pioneers. -

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5.1.4 Government Efficiency

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The efficiency of the local governments of your colonies depends on the -colonists’ support for the Sons of Liberty. If more than 50% of the colonists -support the Sons of Liberty, they all produce one additional unit of goods, and if -support for the Sons of Liberty increases to 100 %, they even produce two -additional units. Colonies which have room for more colonists without reducing -the production bonus are distinguished on the map by the colony size appearing -in italic font. -

On the other hand, if the number of Tories exceeds a certain number which -depends on the difficulty of the game (4 colonists by default), their production -decreases by one unit, and if it exceeds this limit by four colonists, their -production is decreased by two units. This waste may well destroy your colony -and should be avoided at all costs. -

In order to prevent this kind of mismanagement, you need to increase the -support for the Sons of Liberty. You can do this by producing Freedom Bells in -the Town Hall. -

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5.2 Colony Buildings

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- - - -

A newly established colony already includes several buildings, namely a town -hall, a carpenter’s house, a blacksmith’s house, a tobacconist’s house, a weaver’s -house, a distiller’s house, a fur trader’s house, and a warehouse. You can improve -your colonies by upgrading all of these buildings except the town hall, and by -constructing various new buildings. However, many buildings can only be -constructed in colonies of a certain size, or after certain Founding Fathers have -joined the Continental Congress. -

The craftsmen’s houses can be upgraded to workshops, which produce twice as -many manufactured goods. After Adam Smith has joined the Continental -Congress, workshops can be upgraded to factories, which are more efficient and -generally produce one and a half units of manufactured goods from each unit of -raw material. While the town hall itself can not be upgraded, the production of -Liberty Bells can be boosted by constructing a printing press and then a -newspaper. -

The following buildings are all present in every newly established colony: -

-

The following eight buildings are not part of your basic colony and have to be -constructed later: -

-

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5.3 Using Buildings

-

-

Some buildings have an immediate effect. The Stockade, for example, provides -protection for your colony, and the Docks enable your colonists to go fishing. The -effects of these buildings can not be increased by workers. -

Most buildings do nothing if they are unoccupied, but provide workers with a -place to produce manufactured goods. The Tobacconist’s House, for example, -allows colonists to make Cigars from Tobacco. Place one or more colonists in a -building in order to convert raw materials to manufactured goods, which can -be sold for higher prices. For each building, there are expert units that -work more effectively than Free Colonists. Other units may work less -effectively. -

- - - -

5.4 Building Units and Buildings

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In order to upgrade buildings, and to construct new buildings and certain -kinds of units, such as Artillery and ships, you will need to produce Hammers, -which represent work being done. Hammers are made from Lumber, so you -need to produce lumber, either by cutting down forests, or by placing a -colonist on a forested tile next to your colony and ordering him to work as a -lumberjack (right click on the unit to give it orders). Then you can place -a colonist in the Carpenter’s House in order to convert the lumber to -Hammers. -

Units and advanced buildings also require Tools, which are made from Ore. So -you need to place an ore miner on a tile that produces ore (Hills, for example) -and another in the Blacksmith’s House, in order to convert the ore into -tools. -

- - - -

Chapter 6
Your Home Country

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Your Home Country is a European monarchy and colonial power. The -original game featured four playable nations, namely Spain, France, England -and the Netherlands. FreeCol optionally adds Portugal, Denmark, Sweden -and Russia. -

Virtually all players agree that the addition of Portugal corrects a glaring -omission of the original game, but the other three European nations are -controversial. Sweden, Denmark and Russia all had colonies or territories in the -Americas, but were either minor colonial powers or arrived very late. However, as -we wished to make multi-player games with up to eight human players possible, -we had to add further nations. We might well change the selection at -some later date, and you can change the selection by editing the rules -yourself. -

Each of these countries may have special abilities and different starting -units. In the original game, these abilities and units were tied to particular -nations. FreeCol, however, optionally allows you to select your national -advantage. -

At the moment, FreeCol defines the following eight advantages, and also allows -you to select no advantage at all: -

-

In the original game, the Dutch had the trade advantage, the French had -the cooperation advantage, the English had the immigration advantage -and the Spanish had the conquest advantage. In FreeCol, this is also the -default, although you can optionally select different advantages. By default, -the Portuguese have the naval advantage, the Swedish have the building -advantage, the Danish have the agriculture advantage and the Russians -have the fur trapping advantage. This is likely to change in the future, -however. -

- - - -

6.1 Your Home Port

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The Home Port is a port city in your home country, where you can trade -Goods, and train, recruit and buy Units. If you have not built a Drydock in any of -your colonies, your damaged ships will also return to the Home Port for -repairs. -

As you generate Crosses in your colonies, colonists will appear at the docks of -the Home Port. Unless William Brewster has joined the Continental Congress, -many of these colonists will be Indentured Servants and Petty Criminals. Once -William Brewster has been elected, these units will no longer appear at the docks, -and you will be able to select the next colonist to emigrate from the recruitment -list. -

The recruitment list is a list of three colonists who are thinking about -emigrating to the New World, but have not yet reached a decision. You can -recruit them by offering gold as an incentive. At the beginning of the -game, this is a good way of increasing the population of your colonies. -However, the amount of gold required will greatly increase during the -game. -

If you have enough gold, you can also train colonists at the Royal Academy. In -exchange for the education you provide, they will also emigrate to the New -World. Not all types of colonists can be trained at the Royal Academy, -however. -

Ships and Artillery can also be purchased in the Home Port. You can also -build these units in your colonies, as soon as you have built a Shipyard and an -Armory, respectively. -

For further information about the actions available in your Home Port, please -refer to the section on the europe panel. -

-

6.2 Your Monarch

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Your Home Country is ruled by a Monarch whose actions can have a -profound influence on your colonies and your relations to other nations present in -the New World. -

From time to time, the Monarch may decide to raise the Taxes you pay on all - - - -goods you sell in the Home Port. You may refuse to accept these taxes, however, -in which case your colonists will stage a protest similar to the Boston Tea -Party and throw some goods into the harbour. The Monarch will not be -amused and will boycott this type of goods. This means that you will no -longer be able to trade these goods in the Home Port until the Boycott is -lifted. -

You can end a Boycott by paying the outstanding tax arrears. As soon as -Jacob Fugger II joins the Continental Congress, all Boycotts will be lifted, but the -Monarch may declare further Boycotts later on. As soon as Peter Stuyvesant joins -the Continental Congress, you will be able to build Custom Houses in your -colonies. The original Colonization game contained a bug which made the Custom -House ignore all Boycotts, and this behaviour is available as a rule variant (see -ignoring boycotts). -

Naturally, the Monarch does not trust your colonists, some of which are -nothing but Petty Criminals, and some of which even support the infamous Sons -of Liberty. For this reason, the crown maintains the Royal Expeditionary -Force, which is to put an end to insurrections in the New World. From -time to time the Monarch may inform you that further units have been -added to the Royal Expeditionary Force, just so that you don’t get any -ideas. -

The Monarch may also declare war on any nation present in the New World, -both European and native. This will also affect your relations with this nation, -unless Benjamin Franklin has already been elected to the Continental -Congress. In this case, the Monarch’s wars do not affect you anymore, -except that the Monarch may still use the war as an excuse to raise your -taxes. -

If you are already at war with some nation, either due to the Monarch’s -actions, or your own, the crown may offer you some cheap Mercenaries. If you -agree to their price, these units will appear at the docks in your Home Port, ready -to set sail for the New World. -

- - - -

Chapter 7
Units

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-

Several dozen different units are available in FreeCol, but not all units are -available to all players. Some units are available only to Indian Players, some -units are only available to European Players, and other units are available only -to the Royal Expeditionary Force. -

The most basic unit of the European Players (including you) is the Free -Colonist. The Free Colonist is quite good at any task, but has no special skills. -At the beginning of the game, many of the colonists will not be volunteers, but -Indentured Servant, or Petty Criminal, who are deported to the New World. -Indentured Servants are pretty bad at all jobs within the colony, but -just like Free Colonists, they can be sent to native villages to learn a -skill from the natives. Petty Criminals are very bad at all jobs within -the colony and can not learn anything from the natives. However, both -Indentured Servants and Petty Criminals can become Free Colonists through -Education. -

Many early colonies failed due to a lack of food. In order to avoid a similar -fate, you must ensure adequate food production from the very beginning. All your -colonists can produce some amount of food, especially on the more fertile terrain -types, but the Expert Farmer and the Expert Fisherman will greatly increase -your food production. But note that the Expert Fisherman requires a Dock to -moor his boat to, and that this requires at least one ocean tile adjacent to your -colony. -

Four types of units are not available in Europe because they posses -skills that can only be learned from the native population. These are the -Master Sugar Planter, the Master Cotton Planter, the Master -Tobacco Planter, and the Expert Fur Trapper. These units are able to -greatly increase your production of Sugar, Cotton, Tobacco, and Furs, -respectively. -

In the beginning of the game, you will most likely export a great deal of -these goods to Europe, but beware, prices will drop! However, all the raw -materials of the New World can be used to produce luxury goods that -will sell for higher prices in Europe. Sugar can be used to distill Rum, -Cotton can be used to produce Cloth, Cigars are made from Tobacco, -and Coats are made from Furs. All your colonists can do this, but the -Master Distiller, the Master Weaver, the Master Tobacconist, and -the Master Fur Trader are the experts who will really rev up your -production. - - - -

The New World also has two mineral resources, Ore and Silver, to offer. Again, -all your colonists are able to mine these resources to a certain extent, but you will -need the Expert Ore Miner and the Expert SilverMiner to make the most of -them. -

Lumber can be produced in all forested tiles, and can also be exported to -Europe, although prices are low. However, you will need vast amounts of lumber -in order to upgrade your colonies, and no colonist is more skilled at cutting down -forests than the Expert LumberJack. Nor is any colonist more skilled at -turning the lumber into buildings than the Master Carpenter. -

The more advanced buildings you can construct in the your colonies require -not only lumber but also Tools, which are produced from Ore. This is the job the -Master Blacksmith excels in. Tools are also used by your Pioneer to clear -forests, to plow fields and to build roads, but none of your other colonists can -match the outdoors skills of your Hardy Pioneer. And finally, Tools are required -for the production of Muskets, a demanding task best left to the Master -Gunsmith. -

All your units are able to explore the New World, but the colonist most -suited to this dangerous endeavour is the Scout, a mounted colonist. A -Scout may become a Seasoned Scout through experience, either by -visiting native settlements, or by investigating Lost City Rumours. The -Seasoned Scout is much more skillful at these jobs, but beware, they are -dangerous! -

Another colonist able to visit native settlements is the Missionary. Any -colonist can be converted to a Missionary by blessing him in a colony with a -Church, or in the Home Port, which is sure to have several churches and maybe -even a Cathedral. Missionaries are able to establish a Mission in the native -settlement, and to convert the natives. The Jesuit Missionary, however, is much -more accomplished at the job. -

The converted natives may join your colonies as Indian Converts. They are -unskilled at all jobs within the colony, but more skilled than your Free Colonists -at producing food and New World Goods such as sugar, tobacco, cotton and furs. -Indian Converts can not be upgraded through Education, but they become -Free Colonists as soon as Bartolomé de las Casas joins the Continental -Congress. -

Many colonists come to the New World in search of religious freedom. Thus, -they desire a Church in which to preach and pray. This religious freedom, which -attracts more European colonists, is represented by Crosses. Naturally, some -colonists are more eloquent and inspired than others, and the most famous of - - - -these are known as Firebrand Preacher. -

While the preachers are concerned with the spiritual welfare of the colonists, -the colonists concerned with the secular welfare of their fellow citizens meet in the -Town Hall, which generates Liberty Bells. The most dignified and influential of -these citizens are considered Elder Statesman. -

Any colonist can be equipped with Muskets, which makes him a Soldier, or a -Dragoon if he is mounted. However, combat-hardened Veteran Soldier and -Veteran Dragoon are much more effective. A dragoon that is beaten in -battle is downgraded to a soldier. A beaten soldier becomes an unarmed -colonist. -

On the other hand, any soldier or dragoon that wins a battle may be -upgraded. A Petty Criminal will be upgraded to an Indentured Servant, -an Indentured Servant will be upgraded to a Free Colonist, and a Free -Colonist to a veteran unit. Veteran units may be further upgraded to -Colonial Regular or Colonial Cavalry, but only after the Declaration of -Independence. - - -

Artillery is most effective at attacking and defending colonies and -fortified units, but is also very vulnerable in the open. Artillery may become -damaged, which decreases its efficiency. Damaged Artillery is still quite -powerful, but it can not be repaired, and further damage will destroy -it. -

The Wagon Train, which has to be built in one of your colonies, can be used -to transport up to 200 units of goods over land and to trade with native -settlements, and foreign colonies if Jan de Witt has joined the Continental -Congress. There is a limit on the number of wagon trains you can build— it may -not exceed the number of colonies you have (plus the “Settlement limit modifier” -game option which defaults to zero). -

The Treasure Train is similar to the Wagon Train, but is used only to -transport treasures. You can find these treasures in Lost Cities, or in the ruins of -native settlements you have destroyed. If you move your Treasure Trains into a -colony with access to the sea, your Monarch will offer to ship it to Europe for a -“reasonable fee”, unless Hernán Cortés has joined the Continental Congress, -in which case it will be shipped free of charge. However if you have a -Galleon, you are expected to use it to take the Treasure Train to Europe -yourself. -

The Caravel, the Merchantman and the Galleon are unarmed naval units, - - - -with two, four or six cargo holds, respectively. A cargo hold may contain up to 100 -units of goods, or any land unit except the Treasure Train, which takes up six -cargo holds all by itself, and the Wagon Train, which can not be transported by -sea at all. -

The Privateer and the Frigate are armed naval vessel with two or four cargo -holds, respectively. The Privateer is unique in that it does not fly the flag of your -country and can attack the vessels of other countries with impunity. It -becomes even more deadly when Francis Drake joins the Continental -Congress. -

The Man of War is the most powerful naval vessel, and has six cargo holds. -At the beginning of the game, only the Monarch has these powerful ships, -but when you gain independence you can also construct them in your -colonies. -

The Monarch has two types of units that you can never command, however. -These are the King’s Regular and King’s Cavalry, which are roughly as -powerful as your Colonial Regulars and Colonial Cavalry. -

The natives also have two types of units that you can not recruit, namely the -Indian Brave and the Indian Dragoon. These are strong fighting units that -can also carry up to 100 units of goods each. -

-

7.1 Equipment

-

-

Most units can be equipped with tools, horses, muskets, or a bible. Most -types of equipment are not compatible with each other, however. If you -equip a unit with tools, for example, then that unit will drop any other -equipment it is currently using. Equipment grants a unit certain abilities, -which it does not possess otherwise. Certain units are particularly skilled -with a certain type of equipment, but without it they have no special -abilities: -

-

Of course, units that do not represent people, such as ships, wagon trains and -treasure trains, can not be equipped. The Indian Convert is another unit that can -not be equipped. -

You can equip a unit by selecting the appropriate menu item from the context -menu. If the equipment is produced from a single type of goods you can also equip -a unit by dragging a sufficient amount of goods from a warehouse, the European -market, a ship or wagon train and dropping it onto the unit while holding down -the alt key. -

-

7.2 Skills and Education

-

-

In FreeCol, your colonists come from all walks of life. Some are unskilled Petty -Criminals, who are deported to the colonies. Others are Indentured Servants, or -Free Colonists with moderate skills. Still others are masters of their craft, experts -at their trade or profession, who were educated at the Royal College in Europe. -If you have enough gold, you can recruit units directly from the Royal -College. -

Not all skills, however, can be learned in Europe. Sugar, Cotton and Tobacco, -as well as Furs are apparently unknown in Europe. Thus, Master Sugar Planters, - - - -Master Cotton Planters, Master Tobacco Planters, as well as the Expert Fur -Trappers, can not be recruited in Europe. -

At the beginning of the game, these skills can only be learned at Indian -Settlements, or through experience. If you put a Free Colonist to work outside of -the colony for a long time without changing his work assignment, he may learn -the necessary skill and become an expert. This does not work for the more -complicated jobs within the colony, however. -

The Schoolhouse and its upgrades, the College and the University, allow you -to train your units yourself by placing a skilled unit in one of these buildings. If a -suitable student exists in the colony it will automatically appear next to the -teacher in the building, as well as continuing to perform its current task. Note -that the Master Sugar Planter, the Master Cotton Planter, the Master Tobacco -Planter, the Master Fur Trader, the Master Distiller, the Master Weaver, the -Master Tobacconist, the Master Blacksmith and the Master Gunsmith -all require at least a College, while the Elder Statesman, the Firebrand -Preacher and the Jesuit Missionary even require a University to teach their -profession. -

Usually, units need four turns to learn a profession taught in schoolhouse, six -turns to learn a profession taught in college, and eight turns to learn a profession -taught at university. However, the colony’s production bonus or penalty is -subtracted from this value, so that units in colonies with a production bonus learn -faster, and units in colonies with a production penalty require more time to -learn. -

A Free Colonist can learn any skill or profession in this manner, but Petty -Criminals and Indentured Servants can not. However, a Petty Criminal may -become an Indentured Servant, and an Indentured Servant may become a Free -Colonist through education. Any colonist placed in a schoolhouse, college or -university is able to provide this kind of education. -

Petty Criminals may also become Indentured Servants, and Indentured -Servants may also become Free Colonists by winning a battle and being -promoted. Free Colonists can be promoted to Veteran Soldiers, and after -the Declaration of Independence, these may be promoted to Colonial -Regulars. -

Indian units are more productive than free colonists when working outside of -the colony, and less productive when working inside a building. Indian units can -not become free colonists through education, but all Indian units become -free colonists as soon as Bartolomé de las Casas joins the Continental -Congress. - - - -

However, Indian Converts that join your colonies after Bartolomé de las Casas -has been elected to the Continental Congress will always remain converts and can -not be upgraded. -

Scouts can explore the New World and enter Indian Settlements in order to -speak with the tribal chiefs. A scout entering an Indian Settlement may become a -Seasoned Scout through experience. A colonist investigating a Lost City Rumours -may also be upgraded to a Seasoned Scout, unless that unit already has another -skill. -

-

7.3 Combat

-

-

A tile can only be occupied by units of a single Player. If a unit of -another Player attempts to enter that tile, combat ensues. The combat -mechanism of FreeCol is very simple: Each unit has an attack strength and a -defence strength. Attack bonuses and defence bonuses granted by terrain, -fortifications or Founding Fathers are added to the base values of the -units. A random element is then added to the calculations in order to -determine the winner of the battle. If a tile is occupied by more than -one unit, the attacker will fight against the defender with the strongest -defence. -

Most units that win a battle may be promoted, and all units that lose a battle -will always be captured, demoted, damaged or destroyed. A Petty Criminal may -be promoted to an Indentured Servant, and an Indentured Servant may be -promoted to a Free Colonist. A Free Colonist may be promoted to a Veteran -Soldier, which in turn may be promoted to a Colonial Regular, but only after the -Declaration of Independence. -

A Dragoon that loses a battle will be demoted to a Soldier, and a Soldier that -loses a battle will be demoted to an unarmed colonist. An unarmed colonist that -loses a battle is either captured, if the attacker is a European Player, or -slaughtered, if the attacker is a Native Player. If an unarmed unit is defending a -colony, the colony is captured if the unit loses a battle. Wagon Trains -and Treasure Trains may also be captured by a European Player and -destroyed by a Native Player. Native units that lose a battle are always -slaughtered. -

Naval units and Artillery can not be promoted. A beaten artillery unit - - - -becomes a Damaged Artillery, which can not be repaired and will be -destroyed if it loses another battle. Ships are either sunk or damaged -when they lose a battle. In either case all units and cargo aboard the -ship are lost, and the ship automatically returns to the nearest repair -location. This may be one of your colonies with a Drydock or the Home -Port. -

The Frigate, the Man of War and the Privateer have the ability to capture the -goods aboard an enemy ship they have bested in battle. Naturally, they can not -take more cargo than their holds will allow. -

Naval units can also attack colonies on coastal tiles, although their chance of -success is not very high. And colonies with a Fort or Fortress will automatically -fire at enemy ships on adjacent ocean tiles. -

-

7.3.1 Combat Bonuses and Penalties

-

-

Bonuses and penalties for naval units: -

-

Bonuses and penalties for land units: -

-

- - - -

Chapter 8
The Continental Congress

-

-

As the player generates Liberty Bells, Founding Fathers are elected to the -Continental Congress. The Founding Fathers are historical figures who -played a more or less important part in the conquest of the New World. -Each Founding Father grants the player a new bonus or ability, or causes -a certain event to occur, much like the “Wonders of the World” in the -Civilization series. At the beginning of the game, you will need only a few -Liberty Bells to elect a Founding Father to the Continental Congress, -but as the game progresses this number may increase to many hundred -Bells. - - -

Adam Smith (1723–1790), better known as the Father of Modern -Economics, penned several texts pertaining to Economic theory, including, “The -Wealth of Nations” his most famous text. As soon as Adam Smith joins the -Continental Congress, the player is allowed to build factories, which produce 1.5 -units of manufactured goods for each unit of raw material consumed. -PIC - - -

Jacob Fugger II (1459–1525) was an extremely wealthy German -merchant and banker who amassed a fortune with family partnerships and -stock holdings in the mining industries. As soon as Jacob Fugger joins -the Continental Congress, all Boycotts currently in effect are dropped. -PIC - - -

Peter Minuit (1580–1638) bought what later became known as Manhattan -Island from Native Americans for about 60 Dutch guilders. He later colonized -the Delware Bay area as well. As soon as Peter Minuit is elected to the -Continental Congress, the Indians no longer demand payment for their land. -PIC - - -

Peter Stuyvesant (1592–1672) was appointed Governor General of the New -Netherlands, which, after a British invasion he could not stop, became New York. -With the election of Peter Stuyvesant, the construction of custom houses becomes - - - -possible. PIC - - -

Jan de Witt (1625–1672) was a great Dutch statesmen. He represented the -merchants and a encouraged industry and commerce. He also negotiated several -important treaties for the Dutch to end wars with England. As soon as Jan -de Witt is a member of the Continental Congress, trade with foreign -colonies becomes possible. According to our default rules (but not the classic -rules), de Witt also enables custom houses to export boycotted good, -provided that you are at peace with at least one other European nation. -PIC - - -

Ferdinand Magellan (1480–1521) was one of the greatest explorers to -navigate the globe. Magellan was first to circumnavigate the globe and cross the -Pacific Ocean. Magellan’s election to the Continental Congress increases the -movement of all naval vessels by one, and the time to sail between Europe and the -New World is reduced. PIC - - -

Francisco Vázquez de Coronado (1510–1554) was the first European -explorer to see the Grand Canyon. Though he never found the golden cities he -searched for, his mapping of the area now called the Southwestern US was -important to further exploration. As soon as Francisco de Coronado joins the -Continental Congress, all existing colonies become visible on the map. -PIC - - -

Hernando de Soto (1496–1542) was the first European to explore Florida -and the southeastern US. He also held a prominent role in conquests of Central -America. If Hernando de Soto is a member of the Continental Congress, the -exploration of Lost City Rumours always yields a positive result, and all land -units have an extended sight radius. PIC - - -

Henry Hudson (1565–1611) was an English navigator who explored -and mapped a large area of the northeastern North American continent. -Many waterways in that region are named in his honour. His original - - - -goal was to find the famed Northwest Passage. The election of Henry -Hudson to the Continental Congress doubles the output of all Fur Trappers. -PIC - - -

Robert La Salle (1643–1687) was the first European to travel the length of -the Mississippi river, while on a mission to set up numerous trading posts along -its banks. He later claimed the whole basin as Louisiana in honor of the French -King. Later, he explored several of the Great Lakes. If Robert La Salle is a -member of the Continental Congress, all colonies gain a stockade as soon as their -population reaches three colonists. PIC - - -

Hernán Cortés (1485–1547) was a famed Spanish conquistador who -overthrew the Aztec Empire and claimed Mexico for Spain. As soon as Hernán -Cortés joins the Continental Congress, conquered native settlements always yield -treasure (and in greater abundance) and the King’s galleons transport it free of -charge. PIC - - -

George Washington (1732–1799) was the general who lead the colonial -army to victory over the British to gain independence for the colonies. This -victory and his leadership led to his being named the new nation’s first President. -If George Washington is a member of the Continental Congress, any soldier or -dragoon who wins a combat is automatically upgraded to the next possible level. -PIC - - -

Paul Revere (1734–1818) was the famed rider of colonial America who -mounted his horse and rode through the countryside alerting colonists -that British soldiers were coming. He was captured during the ride and -later released when his captors believed they were in grave danger and -their prisoner might slow them down. With Paul Revere a member of the -Continental Congress, a colonist automatically takes up any stockpiled -muskets and defends an otherwise undefended colony if it is attacked. -PIC - - - - - -

Francis Drake (1542–1596) was a great English sea captain, the first -Englishman to circumnavigate the globe and a hero in the fights against the -Spanish Armada. The presence of Francis Drake in the Continental Congress -increases the combat strength of all Privateers by 50%. PIC - - -

John Paul Jones (1741–1792) was hailed as a great sea captain in America, -and uttered the famous words "Sir, I have not yet begun to fight" while fighting -the British at sea. He later watched his ship sink to the bottom of the ocean from -the deck of a British vessel. As soon as John Paul Jones is elected to the -Continental Congress, a Frigate is added to your colonial navy for free. -PIC - - -

Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), a powerful voice of patriotism, was -credited with writing the Declaration of Independence. He later became -the 3rd President of the US. The election of Thomas Jefferson to the -Continental Congress increases Liberty Bell production in colonies by 50%. -PIC - - -

Pocahontas (1595–1617) was a peacemaker between early Jamestown settlers -and the Native Americans. She is credited with sending food and other supplies to -starving colonists there during harsh times. She later converted to Christianity -and married an Englishman. When Pocahontas joins the Continental Congress, all -tension levels between you and natives are removed and Indian alarm is generated -half as fast. PIC - - -

Thomas Paine (1737–1809) inspired colonists with his pen at the urging of -Benjamin Franklin. He published a pamphlet, "Common Sense", guiding the -thoughts of patriots all over the colonies. The election of Thomas Paine to the -Continental Congress increases Liberty Bell production in all your colonies by the -value of the current tax rate. PIC - - -

Simón Bolívar (1783–1830) is remembered as a great leader in the struggle -for South American independence from Spain. Bolívar freed what is now - - - -Venezuela and later became its first President. When Simón Bolívar joins the -Continental Congress, the Sons of Liberty membership in all existing colonies is -increased by 20%. PIC - - -

Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790), a heavy contributor to the Declaration of -Independence, was one of the voices of the Revolution. He traveled extensively -between Europe and the colonies, and gained the support of the French in the -war. As soon as Benjamin Franklin is elected to the Continental Congress, the -King’s foreign wars no longer have effect on relationships in the New -World, and Europeans in the New World always offer peace in negotiations. -PIC - - -

William Brewster (1567–1644) was the Puritan leader of the Plymouth -colony in New England. As soon as William Brewster joins the Continental -Congress, criminals or indentured servants no longer appear on the docks and you -can select which immigrant in the recruitment pool to move to the docks. -PIC - - -

William Penn (1644–1718), a close friend of the Duke of York, was granted -the land that is mostly Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. He governed the -Quaker colony for several years to provide a haven to fellow Quakers. The -election of William Penn increases cross production in all colonies by 50%. -PIC - - -

Father Jean de Brébeuf (1593–1649) befriended the Huron Indians and -converted many to Christianity. He died at the hands of the Iroquois who -had finally defeated their enemy, the Hurons. With Jean de Brebeuf a -member of the Continental Congress, all missionaries function as experts. -PIC - - -

Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda (1781–1872) was a Spanish theologian who spoke -out for the conquest of Indian lands and forced evangelization of the natives. The -election of Juan de Sepulveda to the Continental Congress increases the - - - -chance that a subjugated Indian settlement will “convert” and join a colony. -PIC - - -

Bartolomé de las Casas (1474–1566) was a Catholic Priest who traveled the -Indies converting Indians and chastising Spain for their treatment of the Natives. -When Bartolomé de las Casas joins the Continental Congress, all existing Indian -converts become free colonists. PIC -

- - - -

Chapter 9
The Birth of a Nation

-

-

-

9.1 Sons of Liberty

-

-

At the beginning of the game, all your colonists will be Tory Loyalists, who -support your Monarch and are opposed to your policies. For this reason, colonies -with more than a certain number of tories (which depends on the difficulty setting -and defaults to four colonists) suffer a production penalty of one unit. If the limit -is exceeded by four colonists, the penalty increases to two units and may well -threaten the survival of the colony. -

Liberty Bells, however, will turn these Tories into Sons of Liberty, who -support your policies. Colonies in which more than 50% of the population are -Sons of Liberty enjoy a production bonus of one unit, which is increased to two -units as soon as 100% of the population become Sons of Liberty. -

-

9.2 The Treaty of Utrecht

-

-

The colonies of European powers often changed hands as spoils of war. In the -Treaty of Utrecht PIC, which concluded The War of Spanish Succession PIC, -for example, the French ceded most of their North American possessions to the -English. -

In the game, your Monarch may declare war on a foreign power, and if -Benjamin Franklin has not yet joined the Continental Congress, that war -will also spread to the New World. Furthermore, if the Treaty of Utrecht -occurs in the game, the weakest computer player will cede all its colonies -and units to the strongest computer player and withdraw from the New -World. -

In the game, the War of Spanish Succession is triggered as soon as 50% of a -player’s population support the declaration of independence. If there are less than -two computer players still active in the New World at this time, then the Treaty -of Utrecht event can not occur. -

- - - -

9.3 The Declaration of Independence

-

-

As soon as 50% of your entire population support the Sons of Liberty, -you can declare the independence of your colonies. Your Monarch will -not be amused and will send the Royal Expeditionary Force to quell the -insurrection. In order to gain independence, you must defeat the Royal -Expeditionary Force by capturing or destroying nearly all of their land forces -and by taking back any colonies they might have captured. You do not -need to destroy the fleet. However, you do need to maintain at least one -independent colony that is on the coast and accessible from Europe—if the -Royal Expeditionary Force captures all your coastal colonies you have -lost. -

At the declaration, colonies with strong support for the Sons of Liberty -sometimes promote veteran soldiers at work there to Colonial Regular in -preparation for the coming war. The European enemies of your Monarch may -support your effort by dispatching an Intervention Force, provided that you -generate a sufficient number of Liberty Bells after the War of Independence has -begun. -

If you continue to play after successfully defeating the Royal Expeditionary -Force, your new free nation will no longer be subject to the whims of a monarch. -Your Custom House will continue to operate, trading now with all comers instead -of just your former nation, and therefore the external tax rate will be fixed at -zero, with no threat of boycotts. However, you will no longer be able to sail to -your former home port. Future versions may implement sailing to all European -ports. -

- - - -

Chapter 10
Known bugs

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-

FreeCol is still alpha software. In plain English, this means that it is full of -bugs. Some of these bugs have already been reported, but have not been fixed yet. -You can find a list of these bugs, and report new bugs by using our SourceForge -bug tracker. -

Even in single player mode, FreeCol is a client-server game. The communication -between client and server can fall out of step. If this happens, the server often -tries to recover by requesting a reconnect. If this occurs, please accept in order to -continue playing. In some cases, the game may come to a halt during the turn of a -computer opponent. If this happens to you, you can generally reconnect to the -server by using the reconnect option in the game menu or by pressing -ctrl-r. -

A reconnect is often an indication of a bug. If you report a reconnect problem, -more detail is available in the java log file (usually called FreeCol.log) which is -very helpful to the developers if attached to the bug report. The log file can -sometimes be large enough to exceed the attachment limit at SourceForge, in -which case feel free to omit the bulk of the file—the critical information is likely -to be near the end (in the form of a java exception message), but you should -always retain the first few lines which contain the FreeCol version and system -information. -

Possibly the most frequently reported type of bug amounts to “A computer -player did something stupid”. This is only too well understood. The FreeCol AI -players are weak, and blatantly cheat to compensate (which can be partly -controlled by the ‘AI-Cheating’ difficulty options). We hope one day that the -FreeCol AI players will be interesting and challenging opponents without having -to cheat, but much work needs to be done to get there. -

- - - - - - -

Chapter 11
Copyright Notice

-

-

Copyright ©2002–2022 The FreeCol Team. -

This manual is free software; you may redistribute it and/or modify it -under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the -Free Software Foundation; either version 2, or (at your option) any later -version. -

This is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but without any -warranty; without even the implied warranty of merchantability or fitness -for a particular purpose. See the GNU General Public License for more -details. -

A copy of the GNU General Public License is available on the World Wide -Web at the GNU General Public Licence. You can also obtain it by writing to the -Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA -02111–1307, USA. -

Furthermore, permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this file -under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later -version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no -Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. -

Furthermore, permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this file -under the terms of the Creative Commons Attributive Share-Alike license -(CC-BY-SA). - - - - +

+

5.1.2 The adjacent tiles

+

+ +

In the early stages of the game, you will need to generate cash by selling + products from the New World in your Home Port. Thus, many of your early + colonies should probably be situated next to bonus tiles, which greatly increase + production. Rivers also increase production, though not as much as a bonus + resource. On the other hand, they increase the production of many different kinds + of goods, unlike a bonus resource. + +

In order to improve your colony, you will have to construct various buildings. + This will require large amounts of lumber. For this reason, you should + make sure that at least one tile adjacent to your colony site can produce + sufficient amounts of lumber. You will also need tools to construct advanced + buildings. Therefore, it is an advantage if the colony can also produce ore, + which can be refined to produce tools. However, ore is not as important as + lumber. + +

Some of the tiles may be owned by other European powers, or claimed by + Indians. Building a colony too close to other settlements is not a good idea, unless + you plan to conquer or destroy these settlements. Keeping your own colonies close + together is a good strategy, however, as long as you avoid sharing tiles between + several colonies as far as possible. + +

+

5.1.3 Reforestation

+

+ +

You can order your pioneers to cut down forests near to your colonies. This + will increase the food produced on these tiles, and cause a large, one-off + amount of lumber to be delivered to your nearest colony. Under the usual + rules, a tile will never produce lumber again once cleared. However, the + “Plant forest” mod, distributed with FreeCol, allows reforestation by your + pioneers. + +

+

5.1.4 Government Efficiency

+

+ +

The efficiency of the local governments of your colonies depends on the + colonists’ support for the Sons of Liberty. If more than 50% of the colonists + support the Sons of Liberty, they all produce one additional unit of goods, and if + support for the Sons of Liberty increases to 100 %, they even produce two + additional units. Colonies which have room for more colonists without reducing + the production bonus are distinguished on the map by the colony size appearing + in italic font. + +

On the other hand, if the number of Tories exceeds a certain number which + depends on the difficulty of the game (4 colonists by default), their production + decreases by one unit, and if it exceeds this limit by four colonists, their + production is decreased by two units. This waste may well destroy your colony + and should be avoided at all costs. + +

In order to prevent this kind of mismanagement, you need to increase the + support for the Sons of Liberty. You can do this by producing Freedom Bells in + the Town Hall. + +

+

5.2 Colony Buildings

+

+ + + +

A newly established colony already includes several buildings, namely a town + hall, a carpenter’s house, a blacksmith’s house, a tobacconist’s house, a weaver’s + house, a distiller’s house, a fur trader’s house, and a warehouse. You can improve + your colonies by upgrading all of these buildings except the town hall, and by + constructing various new buildings. However, many buildings can only be + constructed in colonies of a certain size, or after certain Founding Fathers have + joined the Continental Congress. + +

The craftsmen’s houses can be upgraded to workshops, which produce twice as + many manufactured goods. After Adam Smith has joined the Continental + Congress, workshops can be upgraded to factories, which are more efficient and + generally produce one and a half units of manufactured goods from each unit of + raw material. While the town hall itself can not be upgraded, the production of + Liberty Bells can be boosted by constructing a printing press and then a + newspaper. + +

The following buildings are all present in every newly established colony: +

+

The following eight buildings are not part of your basic colony and have to be + constructed later: +

+

+

5.3 Using Buildings

+

+ +

Some buildings have an immediate effect. The Stockade, for example, provides + protection for your colony, and the Docks enable your colonists to go fishing. The + effects of these buildings can not be increased by workers. + +

Most buildings do nothing if they are unoccupied, but provide workers with a + place to produce manufactured goods. The Tobacconist’s House, for example, + allows colonists to make Cigars from Tobacco. Place one or more colonists in a + building in order to convert raw materials to manufactured goods, which can + be sold for higher prices. For each building, there are expert units that + work more effectively than Free Colonists. Other units may work less + effectively. + +

+ + +

5.4 Building Units and Buildings

+

+ +

In order to upgrade buildings, and to construct new buildings and certain + kinds of units, such as Artillery and ships, you will need to produce Hammers, + which represent work being done. Hammers are made from Lumber, so you + need to produce lumber, either by cutting down forests, or by placing a + colonist on a forested tile next to your colony and ordering him to work as a + lumberjack (right click on the unit to give it orders). Then you can place + a colonist in the Carpenter’s House in order to convert the lumber to + Hammers. + +

Units and advanced buildings also require Tools, which are made from Ore. So + you need to place an ore miner on a tile that produces ore (Hills, for example) + and another in the Blacksmith’s House, in order to convert the ore into + tools. + +

+ + +

Chapter 6
Your Home Country

+

+ +

Your Home Country is a European monarchy and colonial power. The + original game featured four playable nations, namely Spain, France, England + and the Netherlands. FreeCol optionally adds Portugal, Denmark, Sweden + and Russia. + +

Virtually all players agree that the addition of Portugal corrects a glaring + omission of the original game, but the other three European nations are + controversial. Sweden, Denmark and Russia all had colonies or territories in the + Americas, but were either minor colonial powers or arrived very late. However, as + we wished to make multi-player games with up to eight human players possible, + we had to add further nations. We might well change the selection at + some later date, and you can change the selection by editing the rules + yourself. + +

Each of these countries may have special abilities and different starting + units. In the original game, these abilities and units were tied to particular + nations. FreeCol, however, optionally allows you to select your national + advantage. + +

At the moment, FreeCol defines the following eight advantages, and also allows + you to select no advantage at all: +

+

In the original game, the Dutch had the trade advantage, the French had + the cooperation advantage, the English had the immigration advantage + and the Spanish had the conquest advantage. In FreeCol, this is also the + default, although you can optionally select different advantages. By default, + the Portuguese have the naval advantage, the Swedish have the building + advantage, the Danish have the agriculture advantage and the Russians + have the fur trapping advantage. This is likely to change in the future, + however. + +

+ + +

6.1 Your Home Port

+

+ +

The Home Port is a port city in your home country, where you can trade + Goods, and train, recruit and buy Units. If you have not built a Drydock in any of + your colonies, your damaged ships will also return to the Home Port for + repairs. + +

As you generate Crosses in your colonies, colonists will appear at the docks of + the Home Port. Unless William Brewster has joined the Continental Congress, + many of these colonists will be Indentured Servants and Petty Criminals. Once + William Brewster has been elected, these units will no longer appear at the docks, + and you will be able to select the next colonist to emigrate from the recruitment + list. + +

The recruitment list is a list of three colonists who are thinking about + emigrating to the New World, but have not yet reached a decision. You can + recruit them by offering gold as an incentive. At the beginning of the + game, this is a good way of increasing the population of your colonies. + However, the amount of gold required will greatly increase during the + game. + +

If you have enough gold, you can also train colonists at the Royal Academy. In + exchange for the education you provide, they will also emigrate to the New + World. Not all types of colonists can be trained at the Royal Academy, + however. + +

Ships and Artillery can also be purchased in the Home Port. You can also + build these units in your colonies, as soon as you have built a Shipyard and an + Armory, respectively. + +

For further information about the actions available in your Home Port, please + refer to the section on the europe panel. + +

+

6.2 Your Monarch

+

+ +

Your Home Country is ruled by a Monarch whose actions can have a + profound influence on your colonies and your relations to other nations present in + the New World. + +

From time to time, the Monarch may decide to raise the Taxes you pay on all + + + goods you sell in the Home Port. You may refuse to accept these taxes, however, + in which case your colonists will stage a protest similar to the Boston Tea + Party and throw some goods into the harbour. The Monarch will not be + amused and will boycott this type of goods. This means that you will no + longer be able to trade these goods in the Home Port until the Boycott is + lifted. + +

You can end a Boycott by paying the outstanding tax arrears. As soon as + Jacob Fugger II joins the Continental Congress, all Boycotts will be lifted, but the + Monarch may declare further Boycotts later on. As soon as Peter Stuyvesant joins + the Continental Congress, you will be able to build Custom Houses in your + colonies. The original Colonization game contained a bug which made the Custom + House ignore all Boycotts, and this behaviour is available as a rule variant (see + ignoring boycotts). + +

Naturally, the Monarch does not trust your colonists, some of which are + nothing but Petty Criminals, and some of which even support the infamous Sons + of Liberty. For this reason, the crown maintains the Royal Expeditionary + Force, which is to put an end to insurrections in the New World. From + time to time the Monarch may inform you that further units have been + added to the Royal Expeditionary Force, just so that you don’t get any + ideas. + +

The Monarch may also declare war on any nation present in the New World, + both European and native. This will also affect your relations with this nation, + unless Benjamin Franklin has already been elected to the Continental + Congress. In this case, the Monarch’s wars do not affect you anymore, + except that the Monarch may still use the war as an excuse to raise your + taxes. + +

If you are already at war with some nation, either due to the Monarch’s + actions, or your own, the crown may offer you some cheap Mercenaries. If you + agree to their price, these units will appear at the docks in your Home Port, ready + to set sail for the New World. + +

+ + +

Chapter 7
Units

+

+ +

Several dozen different units are available in FreeCol, but not all units are + available to all players. Some units are available only to Indian Players, some + units are only available to European Players, and other units are available only + to the Royal Expeditionary Force. + +

The most basic unit of the European Players (including you) is the Free + Colonist. The Free Colonist is quite good at any task, but has no special + skills. + At the beginning of the game, many of the colonists will not be volunteers, but + Indentured Servant, or Petty Criminal, who are deported to the New World. + Indentured Servants are pretty bad at all jobs within the colony, but + just like Free Colonists, they can be sent to native villages to learn a + skill from the natives. Petty Criminals are very bad at all jobs within + the colony and can not learn anything from the natives. However, both + Indentured Servants and Petty Criminals can become Free Colonists through + Education. + +

Many early colonies failed due to a lack of food. In order to avoid a similar + fate, you must ensure adequate food production from the very beginning. All your + colonists can produce some amount of food, especially on the more fertile terrain + types, but the Expert Farmer and the Expert Fisherman will greatly increase + your food production. But note that the Expert Fisherman requires a Dock to + moor his boat to, and that this requires at least one ocean tile adjacent to your + colony. + +

Four types of units are not available in Europe because they posses + skills that can only be learned from the native population. These are the + Master Sugar Planter, the Master Cotton Planter, the Master + Tobacco Planter, and the Expert Fur Trapper. These units are able to + greatly increase your production of Sugar, Cotton, Tobacco, and Furs, + respectively. + +

In the beginning of the game, you will most likely export a great deal of + these goods to Europe, but beware, prices will drop! However, all the raw + materials of the New World can be used to produce luxury goods that + will sell for higher prices in Europe. Sugar can be used to distill Rum, + Cotton can be used to produce Cloth, Cigars are made from Tobacco, + and Coats are made from Furs. All your colonists can do this, but the + Master Distiller, the Master Weaver, the Master Tobacconist, and + the Master Fur Trader are the experts who will really rev up your + production. + + + +

The New World also has two mineral resources, Ore and Silver, to offer. Again, + all your colonists are able to mine these resources to a certain extent, but you will + need the Expert Ore Miner and the Expert SilverMiner to make the most of + them. + +

Lumber can be produced in all forested tiles, and can also be exported to + Europe, although prices are low. However, you will need vast amounts of lumber + in order to upgrade your colonies, and no colonist is more skilled at cutting down + forests than the Expert LumberJack. Nor is any colonist more skilled at + turning the lumber into buildings than the Master Carpenter. + +

The more advanced buildings you can construct in your colonies require + not only lumber but also Tools, which are produced from Ore. This is the job the + Master Blacksmith excels in. Tools are also used by your Pioneer to clear + forests, to plow fields and to build roads, but none of your other colonists can + match the outdoors skills of your Hardy Pioneer. And finally, Tools are required + for the production of Muskets, a demanding task best left to the Master + Gunsmith. + +

All your units are able to explore the New World, but the colonist most + suited to this dangerous endeavour is the Scout, a mounted colonist. A + Scout may become a Seasoned Scout through experience, either by + visiting native settlements, or by investigating Lost City Rumours. The + Seasoned Scout is much more skillful at these jobs, but beware, they are + dangerous! + +

Another colonist able to visit native settlements is the Missionary. Any + colonist can be converted to a Missionary by blessing him in a colony with a + Church, or in the Home Port, which is sure to have several churches and maybe + even a Cathedral. Missionaries are able to establish a Mission in the native + settlement, and to convert the natives. The Jesuit Missionary, however, is much + more accomplished at the job. + +

The converted natives may join your colonies as Indian Converts. They are + unskilled at all jobs within the colony, but more skilled than your Free Colonists + at producing food and New World Goods such as sugar, tobacco, cotton and furs. + Indian Converts can not be upgraded through Education, but they become + Free Colonists as soon as Bartolomé de las Casas joins the Continental + Congress. + +

Many colonists come to the New World in search of religious freedom. Thus, + they desire a Church in which to preach and pray. This religious freedom, which + attracts more European colonists, is represented by Crosses. Naturally, some + colonists are more eloquent and inspired than others, and the most famous of + + + these are known as Firebrand Preacher. + +

While the preachers are concerned with the spiritual welfare of the colonists, + the colonists concerned with the secular welfare of their fellow citizens meet in the + Town Hall, which generates Liberty Bells. The most dignified and influential of + these citizens are considered Elder Statesman. + +

Any colonist can be equipped with Muskets, which makes him a Soldier, or a + Dragoon if he is mounted. However, combat-hardened Veteran Soldier and + Veteran Dragoon are much more effective. A dragoon that is beaten in + battle is downgraded to a soldier. A beaten soldier becomes an unarmed + colonist. + +

On the other hand, any soldier or dragoon that wins a battle may be + upgraded. A Petty Criminal will be upgraded to an Indentured Servant, + an Indentured Servant will be upgraded to a Free Colonist, and a Free + Colonist to a veteran unit. Veteran units may be further upgraded to + Colonial Regular or Colonial Cavalry, but only after the Declaration of + Independence. + + + +

Artillery is most effective at attacking and defending colonies and + fortified units, but is also very vulnerable in the open. Artillery may become + damaged, which decreases its efficiency. Damaged Artillery is still quite + powerful, but it can not be repaired, and further damage will destroy + it. + +

The Wagon Train, which has to be built in one of your colonies, can be used + to transport up to 200 units of goods over land and to trade with native + settlements, and foreign colonies if Jan de Witt has joined the Continental + Congress. There is a limit on the number of wagon trains you can build— it may + not exceed the number of colonies you have (plus the “Settlement limit modifier” + game option which defaults to zero). + +

The Treasure Train is similar to the Wagon Train, but is used only to + transport treasures. You can find these treasures in Lost Cities, or in the ruins of + native settlements you have destroyed. If you move your Treasure Trains into a + colony with access to the sea, your Monarch will offer to ship it to Europe for a + “reasonable fee”, unless Hernán Cortés has joined the Continental Congress, + in which case it will be shipped free of charge. However if you have a + Galleon, you are expected to use it to take the Treasure Train to Europe + yourself. + +

The Caravel, the Merchantman and the Galleon are unarmed naval units, + + + with two, four or six cargo holds, respectively. A cargo hold may contain up to 100 + units of goods, or any land unit except the Treasure Train, which takes up six + cargo holds all by itself, and the Wagon Train, which can not be transported by + sea at all. + +

The Privateer and the Frigate are armed naval vessel with two or four cargo + holds, respectively. The Privateer is unique in that it does not fly the flag of your + country and can attack the vessels of other countries with impunity. It + becomes even more deadly when Francis Drake joins the Continental + Congress. + +

The Man of War is the most powerful naval vessel, and has six cargo holds. + At the beginning of the game, only the Monarch has these powerful ships, + but when you gain independence you can also construct them in your + colonies. + +

The Monarch has two types of units that you can never command, however. + These are the King’s Regular and King’s Cavalry, which are roughly as + powerful as your Colonial Regulars and Colonial Cavalry. + +

The natives also have two types of units that you can not recruit, namely the + Indian Brave and the Indian Dragoon. These are strong fighting units that + can also carry up to 100 units of goods each. + +

+

7.1 Equipment

+

+ +

Most units can be equipped with tools, horses, muskets, or a bible. Most + types of equipment are not compatible with each other, however. If you + equip a unit with tools, for example, then that unit will drop any other + equipment it is currently using. Equipment grants a unit certain abilities, + which it does not possess otherwise. Certain units are particularly skilled + with a certain type of equipment, but without it they have no special + abilities: +

+

Of course, units that do not represent people, such as ships, wagon trains and + treasure trains, can not be equipped. The Indian Convert is another unit that can + not be equipped. + +

You can equip a unit by selecting the appropriate menu item from the context + menu. If the equipment is produced from a single type of goods you can also equip + a unit by dragging a sufficient amount of goods from a warehouse, the European + market, a ship or wagon train and dropping it onto the unit while holding down + the alt key. + +

+

7.2 Skills and Education

+

+ +

In FreeCol, your colonists come from all walks of life. Some are unskilled Petty + Criminals, who are deported to the colonies. Others are Indentured Servants, or + Free Colonists with moderate skills. Still others are masters of their craft, + experts + at their trade or profession, who were educated at the Royal College in Europe. + If you have enough gold, you can recruit units directly from the Royal + College. + +

Not all skills, however, can be learned in Europe. Sugar, Cotton and Tobacco, + as well as Furs are apparently unknown in Europe. Thus, Master Sugar Planters, + + + Master Cotton Planters, Master Tobacco Planters, as well as the Expert Fur + Trappers, can not be recruited in Europe. + +

At the beginning of the game, these skills can only be learned at Indian + Settlements, or through experience. If you put a Free Colonist to work outside of + the colony for a long time without changing his work assignment, he may learn + the necessary skill and become an expert. This does not work for the more + complicated jobs within the colony, however. + +

The Schoolhouse and its upgrades, the College and the University, allow you + to train your units yourself by placing a skilled unit in one of these buildings. If a + suitable student exists in the colony it will automatically appear next to the + teacher in the building, as well as continuing to perform its current task. Note + that the Master Sugar Planter, the Master Cotton Planter, the Master Tobacco + Planter, the Master Fur Trader, the Master Distiller, the Master Weaver, the + Master Tobacconist, the Master Blacksmith and the Master Gunsmith + all require at least a College, while the Elder Statesman, the Firebrand + Preacher and the Jesuit Missionary even require a University to teach their + profession. + +

Usually, units need four turns to learn a profession taught in schoolhouse, six + turns to learn a profession taught in college, and eight turns to learn a profession + taught at university. However, the colony’s production bonus or penalty is + subtracted from this value, so that units in colonies with a production bonus learn + faster, and units in colonies with a production penalty require more time to + learn. + +

A Free Colonist can learn any skill or profession in this manner, but Petty + Criminals and Indentured Servants can not. However, a Petty Criminal may + become an Indentured Servant, and an Indentured Servant may become a Free + Colonist through education. Any colonist placed in a schoolhouse, college or + university is able to provide this kind of education. + +

Petty Criminals may also become Indentured Servants, and Indentured + Servants may also become Free Colonists by winning a battle and being + promoted. Free Colonists can be promoted to Veteran Soldiers, and after + the Declaration of Independence, these may be promoted to Colonial + Regulars. + +

Indian units are more productive than free colonists when working outside of + the colony, and less productive when working inside a building. Indian units can + not become free colonists through education, but all Indian units become + free colonists as soon as Bartolomé de las Casas joins the Continental + Congress. + + + +

However, Indian Converts that join your colonies after Bartolomé de las Casas + has been elected to the Continental Congress will always remain converts and can + not be upgraded. + +

Scouts can explore the New World and enter Indian Settlements in order to + speak with the tribal chiefs. A scout entering an Indian Settlement may become a + Seasoned Scout through experience. A colonist investigating a Lost City Rumours + may also be upgraded to a Seasoned Scout, unless that unit already has another + skill. + +

+

7.3 Combat

+

+ +

A tile can only be occupied by units of a single Player. If a unit of + another Player attempts to enter that tile, combat ensues. The combat + mechanism of FreeCol is very simple: Each unit has an attack strength and a + defence strength. Attack bonuses and defence bonuses granted by terrain, + fortifications or Founding Fathers are added to the base values of the + units. A random element is then added to the calculations in order to + determine the winner of the battle. If a tile is occupied by more than + one unit, the attacker will fight against the defender with the strongest + defence. + +

Most units that win a battle may be promoted, and all units that lose a battle + will always be captured, demoted, damaged or destroyed. A Petty Criminal may + be promoted to an Indentured Servant, and an Indentured Servant may be + promoted to a Free Colonist. A Free Colonist may be promoted to a Veteran + Soldier, which in turn may be promoted to a Colonial Regular, but only after the + Declaration of Independence. + +

A Dragoon that loses a battle will be demoted to a Soldier, and a Soldier that + loses a battle will be demoted to an unarmed colonist. An unarmed colonist that + loses a battle is either captured, if the attacker is a European Player, or + slaughtered, if the attacker is a Native Player. If an unarmed unit is defending a + colony, the colony is captured if the unit loses a battle. Wagon Trains + and Treasure Trains may also be captured by a European Player and + destroyed by a Native Player. Native units that lose a battle are always + slaughtered. + +

Naval units and Artillery can not be promoted. A beaten artillery unit + + + becomes a Damaged Artillery, which can not be repaired and will be + destroyed if it loses another battle. Ships are either sunk or damaged + when they lose a battle. In either case all units and cargo aboard the + ship are lost, and the ship automatically returns to the nearest repair + location. This may be one of your colonies with a Drydock or the Home + Port. + +

The Frigate, the Man of War and the Privateer have the ability to capture the + goods aboard an enemy ship they have bested in battle. Naturally, they can not + take more cargo than their holds will allow. + +

Naval units can also attack colonies on coastal tiles, although their chance of + success is not very high. And colonies with a Fort or Fortress will automatically + fire at enemy ships on adjacent ocean tiles. + +

+

7.3.1 Combat Bonuses and Penalties

+

+ +

Bonuses and penalties for naval units: +

+

Bonuses and penalties for land units: +

+

+ + +

Chapter 8
The Continental Congress

+

+ +

As the player generates Liberty Bells, Founding Fathers are elected to the + Continental Congress. The Founding Fathers are historical figures who + played a more or less important part in the conquest of the New World. + Each Founding Father grants the player a new bonus or ability, or causes + a certain event to occur, much like the “Wonders of the World” in the + Civilization series. At the beginning of the game, you will need only a few + Liberty Bells to elect a Founding Father to the Continental Congress, + but as the game progresses this number may increase to many hundred + Bells. + + + +

Adam Smith (1723–1790), better known as the Father of Modern + Economics, penned several texts pertaining to Economic theory, including, “The + Wealth of Nations” his most famous text. As soon as Adam Smith joins the + Continental Congress, the player is allowed to build factories, which produce 1.5 + units of manufactured goods for each unit of raw material consumed. + PIC + + + +

Jacob Fugger II (1459–1525) was an extremely wealthy German + merchant and banker who amassed a fortune with family partnerships and + stock holdings in the mining industries. As soon as Jacob Fugger joins + the Continental Congress, all Boycotts currently in effect are dropped. + PIC + + + +

Peter Minuit (1580–1638) bought what later became known as Manhattan + Island from Native Americans for about 60 Dutch guilders. He later colonized + the Delware Bay area as well. As soon as Peter Minuit is elected to the + Continental Congress, the Indians no longer demand payment for their land. + PIC + + + +

Peter Stuyvesant (1592–1672) was appointed Governor General of the New + Netherlands, which, after a British invasion he could not stop, became New York. + With the election of Peter Stuyvesant, the construction of custom houses becomes + + + possible. PIC + + + +

Jan de Witt (1625–1672) was a great Dutch statesmen. He represented the + merchants and a encouraged industry and commerce. He also negotiated several + important treaties for the Dutch to end wars with England. As soon as Jan + de Witt is a member of the Continental Congress, trade with foreign + colonies becomes possible. According to our default rules (but not the classic + rules), de Witt also enables custom houses to export boycotted good, + provided that you are at peace with at least one other European nation. + PIC + + + +

Ferdinand Magellan (1480–1521) was one of the greatest explorers to + navigate the globe. Magellan was first to circumnavigate the globe and cross the + Pacific Ocean. Magellan’s election to the Continental Congress increases the + movement of all naval vessels by one, and the time to sail between Europe and the + New World is reduced. PIC + + + +

Francisco Vázquez de Coronado (1510–1554) was the first European + explorer to see the Grand Canyon. Though he never found the golden cities he + searched for, his mapping of the area now called the Southwestern US was + important to further exploration. As soon as Francisco de Coronado joins the + Continental Congress, all existing colonies become visible on the map. + PIC + + + +

Hernando de Soto (1496–1542) was the first European to explore Florida + and the southeastern US. He also held a prominent role in conquests of Central + America. If Hernando de Soto is a member of the Continental Congress, the + exploration of Lost City Rumours always yields a positive result, and all land + units have an extended sight radius. PIC + + + +

Henry Hudson (1565–1611) was an English navigator who explored + and mapped a large area of the northeastern North American continent. + Many waterways in that region are named in his honour. His original + + + goal was to find the famed Northwest Passage. The election of Henry + Hudson to the Continental Congress doubles the output of all Fur Trappers. + PIC + + + +

Robert La Salle (1643–1687) was the first European to travel the length of + the Mississippi river, while on a mission to set up numerous trading posts along + its banks. He later claimed the whole basin as Louisiana in honor of the French + King. Later, he explored several of the Great Lakes. If Robert La Salle is a + member of the Continental Congress, all colonies gain a stockade as soon as their + population reaches three colonists. PIC + + + +

Hernán Cortés (1485–1547) was a famed Spanish conquistador who + overthrew the Aztec Empire and claimed Mexico for Spain. As soon as Hernán + Cortés joins the Continental Congress, conquered native settlements always yield + treasure (and in greater abundance) and the King’s galleons transport it free of + charge. PIC + + + +

George Washington (1732–1799) was the general who lead the colonial + army to victory over the British to gain independence for the colonies. This + victory and his leadership led to his being named the new nation’s first President. + If George Washington is a member of the Continental Congress, any soldier or + dragoon who wins a combat is automatically upgraded to the next possible level. + PIC + + + +

Paul Revere (1734–1818) was the famed rider of colonial America who + mounted his horse and rode through the countryside alerting colonists + that British soldiers were coming. He was captured during the ride and + later released when his captors believed they were in grave danger and + their prisoner might slow them down. With Paul Revere a member of the + Continental Congress, a colonist automatically takes up any stockpiled + muskets and defends an otherwise undefended colony if it is attacked. + PIC + + + + + +

Francis Drake (1542–1596) was a great English sea captain, the first + Englishman to circumnavigate the globe and a hero in the fights against the + Spanish Armada. The presence of Francis Drake in the Continental Congress + increases the combat strength of all Privateers by 50%. PIC + + + +

John Paul Jones (1741–1792) was hailed as a great sea captain in America, + and uttered the famous words "Sir, I have not yet begun to fight" while fighting + the British at sea. He later watched his ship sink to the bottom of the ocean from + the deck of a British vessel. As soon as John Paul Jones is elected to the + Continental Congress, a Frigate is added to your colonial navy for free. + PIC + + + +

Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), a powerful voice of patriotism, was + credited with writing the Declaration of Independence. He later became + the 3rd President of the US. The election of Thomas Jefferson to the + Continental Congress increases Liberty Bell production in colonies by 50%. + PIC + + + +

Pocahontas (1595–1617) was a peacemaker between early Jamestown settlers + and the Native Americans. She is credited with sending food and other supplies to + starving colonists there during harsh times. She later converted to Christianity + and married an Englishman. When Pocahontas joins the Continental Congress, all + tension levels between you and natives are removed and Indian alarm is generated + half as fast. PIC + + + +

Thomas Paine (1737–1809) inspired colonists with his pen at the urging of + Benjamin Franklin. He published a pamphlet, "Common Sense", guiding the + thoughts of patriots all over the colonies. The election of Thomas Paine to the + Continental Congress increases Liberty Bell production in all your colonies by the + value of the current tax rate. PIC + + + +

Simón Bolívar (1783–1830) is remembered as a great leader in the struggle + for South American independence from Spain. Bolívar freed what is now + + + Venezuela and later became its first President. When Simón Bolívar joins the + Continental Congress, the Sons of Liberty membership in all existing colonies is + increased by 20%. PIC + + + +

Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790), a heavy contributor to the Declaration of + Independence, was one of the voices of the Revolution. He traveled extensively + between Europe and the colonies, and gained the support of the French in the + war. As soon as Benjamin Franklin is elected to the Continental Congress, the + King’s foreign wars no longer have effect on relationships in the New + World, and Europeans in the New World always offer peace in negotiations. + PIC + + + +

William Brewster (1567–1644) was the Puritan leader of the Plymouth + colony in New England. As soon as William Brewster joins the Continental + Congress, criminals or indentured servants no longer appear on the docks and you + can select which immigrant in the recruitment pool to move to the docks. + PIC + + + +

William Penn (1644–1718), a close friend of the Duke of York, was granted + the land that is mostly Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. He governed the + Quaker colony for several years to provide a haven to fellow Quakers. The + election of William Penn increases cross production in all colonies by 50%. + PIC + + + +

Father Jean de Brébeuf (1593–1649) befriended the Huron Indians and + converted many to Christianity. He died at the hands of the Iroquois who + had finally defeated their enemy, the Hurons. With Jean de Brebeuf a + member of the Continental Congress, all missionaries function as experts. + PIC + + + +

Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda (1781–1872) was a Spanish theologian who spoke + out for the conquest of Indian lands and forced evangelization of the natives. The + election of Juan de Sepulveda to the Continental Congress increases the + + + chance that a subjugated Indian settlement will “convert” and join a colony. + PIC + + + +

Bartolomé de las Casas (1474–1566) was a Catholic Priest who traveled the + Indies converting Indians and chastising Spain for their treatment of the Natives. + When Bartolomé de las Casas joins the Continental Congress, all existing Indian + converts become free colonists. PIC + +

+ + +

Chapter 9
The Birth of a Nation

+

+ +

+

9.1 Sons of Liberty

+

+ +

At the beginning of the game, all your colonists will be Tory Loyalists, who + support your Monarch and are opposed to your policies. For this reason, colonies + with more than a certain number of tories (which depends on the difficulty setting + and defaults to four colonists) suffer a production penalty of one unit. If the limit + is exceeded by four colonists, the penalty increases to two units and may well + threaten the survival of the colony. + +

Liberty Bells, however, will turn these Tories into Sons of Liberty, who + support your policies. Colonies in which more than 50% of the population are + Sons of Liberty enjoy a production bonus of one unit, which is increased to two + units as soon as 100% of the population become Sons of Liberty. + +

+

9.2 The Treaty of Utrecht

+

+ +

The colonies of European powers often changed hands as spoils of war. In the + Treaty of Utrecht PIC, which concluded The War of Spanish Succession PIC, + for example, the French ceded most of their North American possessions to the + English. + +

In the game, your Monarch may declare war on a foreign power, and if + Benjamin Franklin has not yet joined the Continental Congress, that war + will also spread to the New World. Furthermore, if the Treaty of Utrecht + occurs in the game, the weakest computer player will cede all its colonies + and units to the strongest computer player and withdraw from the New + World. + +

In the game, the War of Spanish Succession is triggered as soon as 50% of a + player’s population support the declaration of independence. If there are less than + two computer players still active in the New World at this time, then the Treaty + of Utrecht event can not occur. + +

+ + +

9.3 The Declaration of Independence

+

+ +

As soon as 50% of your entire population support the Sons of Liberty, + you can declare the independence of your colonies. Your Monarch will + not be amused and will send the Royal Expeditionary Force to quell the + insurrection. In order to gain independence, you must defeat the Royal + Expeditionary Force by capturing or destroying nearly all of their land forces + and by taking back any colonies they might have captured. You do not + need to destroy the fleet. However, you do need to maintain at least one + independent colony that is on the coast and accessible from Europe—if the + Royal Expeditionary Force captures all your coastal colonies you have + lost. + +

At the declaration, colonies with strong support for the Sons of Liberty + sometimes promote veteran soldiers at work there to Colonial Regular in + preparation for the coming war. The European enemies of your Monarch may + support your effort by dispatching an Intervention Force, provided that you + generate a sufficient number of Liberty Bells after the War of Independence has + begun. + +

If you continue to play after successfully defeating the Royal Expeditionary + Force, your new free nation will no longer be subject to the whims of a monarch. + Your Custom House will continue to operate, trading now with all comers instead + of just your former nation, and therefore the external tax rate will be fixed at + zero, with no threat of boycotts. However, you will no longer be able to sail to + your former home port. Future versions may implement sailing to all European + ports. + +

+ + +

Chapter 10
Known bugs

+

+ +

FreeCol is still alpha software. In plain English, this means that it is full of + bugs. Some of these bugs have already been reported, but have not been fixed yet. + You can find a list of these bugs, and report new bugs by using our SourceForge + bug tracker. + +

Even in single player mode, FreeCol is a client-server game. The communication + between client and server can fall out of step. If this happens, the server often + tries to recover by requesting a reconnect. If this occurs, please accept in order to + continue playing. In some cases, the game may come to a halt during the turn of a + computer opponent. If this happens to you, you can generally reconnect to the + server by using the reconnect option in the game menu or by pressing + ctrl-r. + +

A reconnect is often an indication of a bug. If you report a reconnect problem, + more detail is available in the java log file (usually called FreeCol.log) which is + very helpful to the developers if attached to the bug report. The log file can + sometimes be large enough to exceed the attachment limit at SourceForge, in + which case feel free to omit the bulk of the file—the critical information is likely + to be near the end (in the form of a java exception message), but you should + always retain the first few lines which contain the FreeCol version and system + information. + +

Possibly the most frequently reported type of bug amounts to “A computer + player did something stupid”. This is only too well understood. The FreeCol AI + players are weak, and blatantly cheat to compensate (which can be partly + controlled by the ‘AI-Cheating’ difficulty options). We hope one day that the + FreeCol AI players will be interesting and challenging opponents without having + to cheat, but much work needs to be done to get there. + +

+ + +

Chapter 11
Copyright Notice

+

+ +

Copyright ©2002–2022 The FreeCol Team. + +

This manual is free software; you may redistribute it and/or modify it + under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the + Free Software Foundation; either version 2, or (at your option) any later + version. + +

This is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but without any + warranty; without even the implied warranty of merchantability or fitness + for a particular purpose. See the GNU General Public License for more + details. + +

A copy of the GNU General Public License is available on the World Wide + Web at the GNU General Public Licence. You can also obtain it by + writing to the + Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA + 02111–1307, USA. + +

Furthermore, permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this file + under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later + version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no + Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. + +

Furthermore, permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this file + under the terms of the Creative Commons Attributive Share-Alike license + (CC-BY-SA). + + +